Robotiq Sponsors Carnegie Mellon (CMU) for DARPA Robotics Challenge

Robotiq is proud to announce that we are supporting the Tartan Rescue Team from Canergie Mellon University for the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The robot designed for this challenge will be equipped with our 3-Finger Adaptive Robot Gripper.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge is a competition in which robots will have to perform complex, physically challenging tasks in a context of natural or man-made disaster scenarios. This robot should be able to aid victims of those disasters or conduct an evacuation in an environment where human intervention could be dangerous.

Concretely, here are the tasks that the robot will have to execute:

• Drive a utility vehicle to the site including autonomy in the perception of the environment and in decision-making.
• Travel across dismounted rubble.
• Remove debris blocking an entryway.
• Open door and enter building.
• Climb an industrial ladder, traverse an industrial walkway.
• Use tool(s) to break through a concrete panel.
• Locate and close a valve near a leaking pipe.
• Replace component.

This competition is composed of three major milestones starting this June with a software "virtual" competition, followed by live hardware competitions in December 2013 and December 2014.

Past Successes of Carnegie Mellon University in DARPA Challenges

In 2007, CMU took part in the DARPA Grand Challenge III (Urban Challenge) where an  autonomous vehicle had to perform a 60 mile urban terrain race. This fully autonomous vehicle had to interact with traffic, deal with intersections, as well as passing, merging and parking situations without having a human onboard. Of the 53 teams trying out for this contest 36 were selected for the competition, 11 did the race and 4 finished. CMU won this competition in 4 hours 10 minutes, 14 minutes faster than the Stanford team which finished 2nd.

Watch the video to see the vehicle from CMU performing.

In 2005 during the Grand Challenge II, autonomous vehicles had to perform a 132 mile race in the desert. Of the 23 teams that took part in this race, four finished. CMU finished 2nd and 3rd; 11 minutes and 20 minutes behind Stanford who won the challenge.

Watch the video including highlights of this competition.

As tough and unstructured manipulation challenges have been driving us since our early days, we are proud to support the Tartan Rescue Team from Carnegie Mellon University in this next DARPA Robotics Challenge.