SOUTH KOREANS WIN DARPA “FUKUSHIMA” ROBOTICS CHALLENGE

A South Korean Robotics Team Has Won First Untethered Robotics Challenge

A team from South Korea has won the Darpa Robotics Challenge. The competition involves a type of robot obstacle course which is designed to replicate conditions similar to the disaster zone that followed the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant catastrophe. Team Kaist’s DRC Hubo bipedal robot finished faster than the other 22 competitors to claim the top prize of USD$2m from the US research organization Darpa. The robots had just one hour to accomplish a set of tasks, such as driving a vehicle and walking up a set of steps.

According to the BBC, “the challenge involved a series of tasks for the robots to complete, somewhat autonomously, with intermittent connectivity with their operators to simulate real disaster conditions.” The robots performed their tasks completely untethered, which is a first for such a type of robot challenge. Other tasks included opening a door, getting out of a car and drilling a hole in a wall. Team Kaist finished the course in 44 minutes and 28 seconds. Each team was allowed two attempts to complete the demanding circuit.

Originally 25 teams were set to tackle the course, but a Japanese team pulled out at the last minute due to an electronics mishap and a team from China apparently failed to secure US visas in time. Team IHMC Robotics took second place and received a cheque for USD$1m and Tartan Rescue’s Chimp robot claimed third place, securing USD$500,000 for its human masters. The Chimp robot won the hearts of many fans when it took a tumble and managed to right itself without any outside aid, now that is impressive.