DARPA managers seem pleased with the first round of  The Robotics Challenge (see also earlier post):

After Impressive Demonstrations of Robot Skill,
DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials Conclude
8 teams eligible to receive up to $1 million to prepare
for upcoming DRC Finals 

On December 20-21, 2013, 16 teams were the main attraction at the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials, where they demonstrated their prototype robots’ ability to perform a number of critical real-world disaster-response skills. DARPA constructed eight tasks at the Homestead Speedway in Homestead, Fla., to simulate what a robot might have to do to safely enter and effectively work inside a disaster zone, while its operator would remain out of harm’s way.

After two days of competition, DARPA selected eight teams to receive up to $1 million in funding to continue their work. The scores, out of a total of 32 points, were:

• 27 points: SCHAFT (SCHAFT, Inc., Tokyo, Japan)
• 20 points: IHMC Robotics (Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Pensacola, Fla.)
• 18 points: Tartan Rescue (Carnegie Mellon University, National Robotics Engineering Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
• 16 points: Team MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Boston, Mass.)
• 14 points: RoboSimian (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Los Angeles, Calif.)
• 11 points: Team TRACLabs (TRACLabs, Inc., Webster, Tex.)
• 11 points: WPI Robotics Engineering C-Squad (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.)
• 9 points: Team Trooper (Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, Cherry Hill, N.J.)

“At the start of the event, I said that I would be thrilled if even one team scored half the points available,” said Gill Pratt, the DARPA program manager for the DRC, during the event’s closing ceremony. “The event exceeded my expectations multiple, multiple times over, with the top four teams each scoring half or more. The success and reliability of the various hardware and software approaches that the teams demonstrated outside their laboratories was tremendous to see in action and sets an important baseline going forward.”

A number of teams also received special recognition in conducting the eight tasks based on the number of points received and speed:

• Walk Across Rough Terrain; Remove Debris from Doorway; Climb Industrial Ladder; Carry and Connect Fire Hose: SCHAFT
• Open Series of Doors; Cut Through Wall: IHMC Robotics
• Drive and Exit Utility Vehicle: WRECS
• Locate and Close Leaking Valves: Team THOR

The awards ceremony capped off a second day in which spectators—including many families with children—enjoyed an atmosphere similar to a traditional sporting event, not a scientific exercise. In addition to the Trials, DARPA hosted the DRC Exposition that demonstrated first responder exercises and their technology needs.

DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials Exposition 

“The DRC Trials demonstrated the difficulty of having robots conduct seemingly simple tasks in real-world situations, and the participation of the first responder community provided an important illustration of how technology can save lives,” said Brad Tousley, Director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. “This event was yet another example why challenges work to attract new ideas and help quickly advance technology to solve a focused need.”

With the conclusion of the DRC Trials, DARPA and the teams are now looking ahead to the DRC Finals sometime in the next 12-18 months. The Finals will be an opportunity for the eight top teams and the other eight participating teams to continue their efforts alongside new teams to vie for the chance to win the DRC’s $2 million prize.

Pratt has already identified three initial goals for the next competition. “First, we’d like the robots to be more stable so they don’t fall, and if they do fall, be more robust so they won’t break,” he said. “Second, have the robots work without their tethers by using wireless communications and more efficient, self-contained power systems. Finally, we’d like the robots to use more task-level autonomy in unstructured environments such as those found in real disasters.”

More information, images and video are available at www.theroboticschallenge.org.

I’ve come across over the years a handful of ventures (e.g. Aerion® Corp.  and HyperMach) seeking to develop a commercial supersonic business jet. Here is a new one: Spike Aerospace

Spike Aerospace was founded by a small group of passionate engineers interested in international travel, and opportunities to make that faster and more efficient. They have spent the last 2 years designing a supersonic personal jet — the Spike S-512. This amazing team, with years of experience at Gulfstream, Eclipse and Airbus have designed a 12-18 passenger jet that flies at Mach 1.6 (1100 mph) — reducing flight time by 50%.

Fly Supersonic, Do More means being able to reach destinations around the world is less than half the time it currently takes. Imagine the impact on personal travel, business, investments and global opportunities if you could fly from NYC to London in just 3 hours, LA to Toyko just 5 hours or soon, London to Mumbai in just 4 hours.

Here’s an article about the project: Spike S-512 could be the world’s first supersonic business jet – Gizmag.com.

And a short promotional video:

Urban Aeronautics in Israel has begun untethered unmanned flight tests of their vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) prototype AirMule vehicle:

“AirMule Achieves Major Milestone on the Path to
Full Mission Demonstrations”

The AirMule, an unmanned VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft developed by Tactical Robotics Ltd., a subsidiary of Urban Aeronautics, Ltd., has successfully completed a major milestone in preparation for full mission demonstrations scheduled for next year. The aircraft has completed several fully automatic test flights in which it carried out take-offs, flights to and from a specified location and landing back at its point of origination.

The 1-ton vehicle is unique from all existing vertical take-off and landing aircraft in that it has no exposed rotors. This allows the aircraft to fly in air space that is off limits for any other aircraft.

During these tests height above ground is maintained by two laser altimeters (to be augmented soon by a radar altimeter for dusty conditions). Accurate position is maintained through data fusion of GPS signals, INS data and optical reference to markers on the ground.

Acoustic signature (Sound Pressure Level in dBA) has been recorded as a function of distance from the aircraft to a calibrated microphone and has been found to be significantly lower than an equivalent helicopter.

Additional flight testing is planned for next year with a second prototype, now in construction, planned to join the flight test program in the second half of 2014.

About Urban Aeronautics and Tactical Robotics

Urban Aeronautics Ltd, is the world leader in developing Fancraft technologies. These technologies are the foundation for a family of internal rotor (modified ducted-fan) aircraft with both manned and unmanned, civil and military applications. Due to their internal rotors, compact design and revolutionary ‘six-degrees-of-freedom’ mobility, these aircraft are uniquely suited to flight inside of cities and other obstructed environments where both fixed wing aircraft and traditional rotorcraft are unable to operate. Urban’s subsidiary, Tactical Robotics Ltd. develops these technologies for the military and unmanned market including the company’s flagship model, AirMule.

A video showing extracts from AirMule’s recent test flights:

The DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials took place on Friday and Saturday at Florida’s Homestead Miami Speedway. Seventeen teams participated in the competition:

Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., prepared this past week for a competition unlike any it has ever seen: the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials. Instead of dozens of state-of-the-art cars racing and maneuvering at blazing speeds and covering hundreds of miles, the DRC Trials puts slow prototype robots through a series of simple tasks such as opening doors or walking a short distance. The two-day event, […] , aims to speed development of robots that could perform a number of critical real-world emergency-response tasks after future natural and man-made disasters.

There finalists this year will go on to the next round next year:

The Trials will provide a baseline on the current state of robotics and determine which teams will continue on to the DRC Finals in 2014 with continued DARPA funding. Competing in the 2014 Finals will lead to one team winning a $2 million prize.

Reports from the competition

• DRC Trials 2013 Countdown: Anatomy of a Disaster-Response Robot
• DRC Trials 2013 Countdown: Meet the Teams
• DRC Trials 2013: Transforming a NASCAR Racetrack into a (Simulated) Disaster Area
• DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials Get Off to a Positive Start

A DARPA video about the event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6UzI7MyqvU&feature=share&list=UUOIHBHRbvncMo7Bf0Vx1zEQ&index=17

You can find lots more videos at DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – YouTube.

Here’s an info graphic about the Atlas robot from Boston Dynamics, which was recently bought by Google along with several other robotics firms:

Here’s a DARPA video about Atlas and Boston Dynamics: