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Another DARPA-Sponsored Robotics Competition
dexterpexter writes "While some say that DARPA played unfairly in eliminating Grand Challenge teams they deem unworthy, they, the Department of Defense, and General Motors (among others) sponsor an autonomous robotics competition in which they exercise less control over who competes and who does not. The rules are more lenient and the prizes are less illustrious, but this competition still holds the spirit of 'openness' and rewarding innovation that the Grand Challenge seems to have lost. Of course, you must be from a university to compete, but any university-based vehicle passing the competition-day qualifications gets a fair shot at winning. No pre-competition disqualifications. My team has competed for several years."
Hell they can call those prizes ? I doubut first place $1500 would recoup the cost of batteries...
I didnt read enough, (I rarley do:) but many of these contests are nothing but brain suckers, like the X prise, unless theyve changed it you are basically sighning away your rights to the tech if you win, even that prise $10 mi, is a joke for the tech to CHEAPLY put someone into space, on the public market a cheap easy way would be worth billions.
What does DARPA have to loose, maybe 50k in all the prizes TOTAL ?
I mean competition is good, the best, but I have a feeling the comercialization of these technologies is much more valuable.
The sad part is frustrated people from the original competiton will see this a a boon and join to do nothing more than expose their innovations to someone that has the ability (read GM) to bring it to market.
Then why not pull your team, and force DARPA hand?
Otherwise to me, you are now a co-defendent went this all hits the fan. Basiclly, now the Grand Challenge has be come fixed lottery.
That is true. I have no illusions, and I doubt do the competition sponsors, that college students are the most innovative in the country. The purpose of the competition, I believe, is to give those university students who are working on robotics anyways a chance to compete said robots against each other and to show what students (i.e., not big companies with lots of money) with little experience can do. It is also helping cultivate a new generation of engineers. I don't think its an exclusion based on believing that university students are better than anyone. But pitting three unexperienced university students against Boeing (not because of $$--well, it is a little bit about the money--but it is the engineering experience that will get you) would counterbalance the competition a bit.
:)
Basically, they found a fun way to teach and DARPA and other sponsors saw what the students were able to produce and decided to reward them for it. What a way to learn! Instead of sitting in a classroom sleeping, we get to work toward something great, learning through experience, and we have a chance at getting paid to do so. Neat.
This is just one robotics competition. Another poster has mentioned one that is open to EVERYONE in which the money prize is much, much higher. You are welcome to compete in that if you wish.
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"We are Linux. Resistance is measured in Ohms."
Some friends and I entered the 2nd IGVC and took 2nd place. We used an old electric wheelchair frame, a PC, an old-style camcorder mounted on a tripod clamped down on the base, a big battery, some old Kodak sonars, and a cheapo power inverter to run the PC. Oh, and some homebrew software. You'd be amazed how many teams are still struggling with basic issues right up to competition day. The amount of re-learning is incredible, just about every team has ground-loop issues at some point in development. The cost these days is certainly = the prize if your thrifty (laptop + webcam + some controllable motors). I still stop by when I can, as this competition is always fun to watch.