Virginia Tech's RoMeLa Answers DARPA Robotics Challenge With THOR

smackay writes "Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory is building a humanoid robot designed for dangerous rescue missions as part of the new DARPA Robotics Challenge. Lab founder/director Dennis Hong calls it the 'greatest challenge of my career.' The robot's name: THOR" From the article: "The task is massive: The adult-sized robot must be designed to enter a vehicle, drive it, and then exit the vehicle, walk over rubble, clear objects blocking a door, open the door, and enter a building. The robot then must visually and audibly locate and shut off a leaking valve, connect a hose or connector, climb an industrial ladder and traverse an industrial walkway. The final and possibly most difficult task: Use a power tool and break through a concrete wall. All these tasks must be accomplished under a set time limit."

Comments

Drive a car?

[mosb1000]

Why not just use one of those self-driving cars?

The same thing goes for climbing a latter, connecting hoses, and using power tools. These are devices designed for human use. If you design both the tool and the robot to be compatible, you can arrive at a simpler solution that works better.

Re:Drive a car?

[Charliemopps]

And when your 50yr old reactor goes critical, you can't send in your bot because the valves don't meet the 2014 robo-sync design spec? Every situation I can think of that involves a robot helping out, involves shit not designed for the robot... Old reactors, asteroids, Mars... If we're going to design the thing the robots fixing for the robot, screw the robot, just design the valve with embedded Bluetooth or some shit and turn it off remotely.