On December 20 and 21, DARPA held its Robotics Challenge Trials at the Homestead Miami Speedway to find the next super robot that could carry out a variety of different and extraordinary tasks.
The winner of the challenge was a Japanese robotics team named SCHAFT, Inc. Their robot, named S-One, managed to do some pretty impressive feats. These stunts were so impressive, I’d say we’re well on our way to seeing a Terminator come into action sometime soon.
The robots in the competition were scored based on their mobility, dexterity, perception, autonomous operations, as well as evening wear and swim wear. (Okay, maybe they weren’t scored on the last two, but one can only imagine…)
The robots were required to perform a variety of tasks including driving a vehicle, moving through uneven terrain, removing debris, climbing a ladder, opening doors, closing valves and a variety of other tasks.
Take a look at S-One in action!
DARPA is a branch of the Department of Defense that develops new technologies for the military. DARPA created this challenge to find new robots that could be used for disaster-relief. In a couple of months, DARPA will host the Robotics finals where the winner will receive $2 million dollars in prize money. Take a look at their recap of the challenge:
Pretty impressive, don’t you think? Although, I would begin to worry if a Team Skynet entered the challenge. Wouldn’t you?
