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Humanoid Robots For the Next DARPA Grand Challenge?

Posted by samzenpus on from the thank-you-very-much-mr-roboto dept.

HizookRobotics writes "The official announcement should be out very soon, but for now here's the unofficial, preliminary details based on notes from Dr. Gill Pratt's talk at DTRA Industry Day: The new Grand Challenge is for a humanoid robot (with a bias toward bipedal designs) that can be used in rough terrain and for industrial disasters. The robot will be required to maneuver into and drive an open-frame vehicle (eg. tractor), proceed to a building and dismount, ingress through a locked door using a key, traverse a 100 meter rubble-strewn hallway, climb a ladder, locate a leaking pipe and seal it by closing off a nearby valve, and then replace a faulty pump to resume normal operations — all semi-autonomously with just 'supervisory teleoperation.' It looks like there will be six hardware teams to develop new robots, and twelve software teams using a common platform."

4 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Humanoid Robot... by BenJCarter · · Score: 1, Funny

    Excellent. Can we make one weighing 60 ton's armed with dual LBX-20's, a Large Clan Laser, and 4 C Streak SRM 6's, with 12 tons of extra ammo?

    --
    For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. - Publius
    1. Re:Humanoid Robot... by dissy · · Score: 1, Funny

      Two LBX20's and 4 cStreak6's are pretty hefty firepower though. Even for a Clan heavy. Also, 12 tons of ammo? That is enough for 45 turns of non-stop firing, most matches do not even last 16!

      I don't think he intended to take that mech into battle. He's probably just upset at the neighbors dog and wanted to teach it a lesson. I have the same instinctive response with cats and areal vehicles for some reason *shrug*

  2. I'll be worried when... by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...the last part of the course is 'how to love' and 'question whether or not the unit has a soul'.

  3. Couldn't they use a pair of robots? by Snospar · · Score: 3, Funny

    Say one, perhaps gold in colour with a slightly annoying, camp voice, that's humanoid and another that's really the brains of the operation in a tri-wheeled body that communicates with a series of clicks & beeps (it's also got a useful rotary arm for shutting off that valve).

    It would make for a more entertaining video at the end of the competition.

    --
    Moore's law is not a law. Theory, yes; Predictable trend, certainly; Law, no.