Google-owned SCHAFT robot wins DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials

The Google-owned Japanese robotics company SCHAFT has won the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials by a wide margin. It scored 27 out of 32 points, beating its nearest competitor IHMC Robotics by seven points. Coming up third was Tartan rescue with 18 points, and MIT following that with 16 points.

The contest took place Dec. 20-21 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where 16 teams from around the world did their best to guide their robots through a series of tasks. The robots were to be programmed in such a way that they could be guided by simple commands issued by a non-expert, e.g., "Open the door" or "Clear away the debris in front of you."

The object of the challenge, DARPA says, was to create a robot that could stand in for humans in disaster and emergency zones. In all, eight tasks were included: drive a vehicle; walk across rubble; remove debris; open a door and walk through it; climb a ladder and cross an industrial walkway; break a concrete panel with a tool made for humans; find and close a valve; and connect a fire hose to a pipe and open the valve.

The SCHAFT entry is a 216-pound robot based on the company's preexisting HRP-2 model. It is bipedal and stands 4.8 feet tall with a 4.3-foot wingspan. Business Insider says the SCHAFT robot is "ten times stronger than any other" in the DRC Trials.

Check out the SCHAFT robot performing the eight DRC Trials tasks in the sped-up video below. The tasks were actually performed at a much lower speed, as was the case for all of the robots in the competition. The suspension cables you see are for saving the robot in case of a fall; it is actually self-supporting and self-propelled.

The DRC Trials are the last stop along the way before next year's DRC Finals, where qualified robots will compete for DARPA's grand prize of $2 million. The Finals are to take place in December 2014.







SOURCE: Gizmodo

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NASA’s ISS 'Robonaut' 2 will soon have a pair of legs

Robots might not be at a Terminator level of sophistication, but the technology is growing rapidly, and NASA has revealed what it calls “another milestone” in humanoid space robotics: legs for the Robonaut 2, more commonly called R2. The agency’s engineers are presently working on the climbing legs, which will give the robot a new degree of mobile freedom, enabling it to perform more tasks than currently possible.

For now, the Robonaut 2 is attached to a support pillar, which you can see in the image above, giving it a degree of mobility while it is tested on the International Space Station, where it has been since early 2011. The new legs, which appear similar in design to the arms and don’t so much have feet as they do forward-flexing appendages, will allow the robot to do more both inside and outside of the ISS.

The development is being funded by the space agency’s Human Exploration and Operations and Space Technology mission directorates. Lending a bit of functionality akin to that of its partial namesake, the foot-like appendages have end effectors, which allow it to utilize sockets both inside and outside of the ISS, as well as handrails. The legs have a total span of 9-feet, and each leg has seven joints.

Said NASA’s associate administrator for space technology in Washington Michael Gazarik: “NASA has explored with robots for more than a decade, from the stalwart rovers on Mars to R2 on the station. Our investment in robotic technology development is helping us to bolster productivity by applying robotics technology and devices to fortify and enhance individual human capabilities, performance and safety in space.”



SOURCE: NASA
SOURCE: slashgear

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