Approximately two weeks ago, DARPA and the Pentagon
announced the beginning of a new civilian robotics competition, with the intent
of creating robotic systems capable of operating tools and vehicles in a
disaster zone. According to Gill Pratt,
a DARPA director in the defense sciences office, the initial concept for the
competition came from the Fukushima disaster, and the potential solutions a
robotic system could have provided in the highly irradiated areas of the plant.
Distinguishing itself nominally from DARPA’s previous “Grand
Challenges,” which have targeted autonomous vehicles, this “Robotics Challenge”
will address 8 fundamental needs for assisting future rescue or disaster relief
efforts in dangerous environments: driving a vehicle to a simulated disaster
site, moving across rubble, removing rubble from an entryway, climbing a
ladder, using a tool to break through a concrete wall, finding and closing a
valve on a leaking pipe, and replacing a component like a cooling pump.
With technological breakthroughs in sensors and
perception technologies driving down the cost of autonomous robotic development
worldwide, robotic engineers are reportedly buzzing over the recently announced
competition. Despite no official start
date or declared prize, Aaron Edsinger, a founder of a small robotics company
in San Francisco, has already begun brainstorming for the competition. “Analogs to animals such as spiders, monkeys,
bears, kangaroos and goats are useful inspiration when considering parts of the
challenge,” he said.
While the possibility of a nightmarish robotic spider
bear capable of driving a vehicle and knocking down a wall will inevitably
invoke sleep terrors in just about everyone who has ever seen even just the
cover of a science fiction book or movie, the fact remains that robotics
capabilities will continue to reshape the way we look at problem solving. While Japan boasts a highly advanced robotics
industry, no robotic platforms capable of replacing humans in even the simplest
of tasks were available. Recognizing
this, DARPA has made sure to specify the competition is a global one, and is
hoping for international involvement from many countries. “We’re opening the aperture as wide as we
can,” Pratt said.
I distinctly remember a very engaging presentation a
couple weeks ago by an exceedingly intelligent (and handsome!) fellow student
that focused on the creation of a sustainable robotics industry. In this announcement, DARPA continues to
recognize the strategic necessity for robotic systems for future usage. Furthermore, acknowledging the initial start
up difficulties in this task, and the benefit of a myriad of innovators, DARPA says
it will distribute a software simulator and test hardware platform with legs,
torso, arms and head to assist some of the teams in their development efforts. Asked for comment on this groundbreaking new
challenge, Miles Bennett Dyson, special projects coordinator at Cyberdyne
Systems said he saw no possible outcome in which this could result in the
creation of an AI system capable of launching a massive nuclear strike,
eliminating all of society…..
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment