Robotics

With every innovation, science and technology continue to grow in amazing ways. Robotics has evolved to become a part of our daily lives by transforming the way we work and function. Developing disruptive robotic solutions has become the centre of attraction these days. To test the capabilities of companies and researchers, many organizations are conducting robotics competitions on yearly basis. Robotics competitions are typically exciting, fast-paced events that attract a wide number of people. It feels more like a sporting event than a science contest. Not only are they fun, but they are also prestigious and profitable. Robotics competitions are also seen as an easy way to attract funding. When a company or a lab wins a competition, they get their hands on prize money and at the same time, obtain the recognition they deserve. Therefore, robotic competitions attract thousands of competitors from across the globe. DARPA Grand Challenges on Robotics is one such amazing competition that is funded and conducted by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the most prominent research organization in the United States. Top DARPA challenges recognize the best robotics talents who can imply practical technologies into military and defence. Initially started as a move to trigger autonomous vehicles’ capabilities, DARPA Grand Challenges on Robotics conducts many robotic competitions at certain intervals. IndustryWired has listed major past DARPA Challenges on Robotics that we should remember today.

Top DARPA Grand Challenges on Robotics

2005 Grand Challenge

The DARPA Grand Challenge was commenced in 2004 in the Mojave Desert region of the United States with an aim to plant a foundation stone to the growing autonomous technology. However, the organization couldn’t conclude with an exact winner since no team that took place in the competition completed the 150-mile route. Later, the event was scheduled again in 2005. The goal of the 2005 Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR) is to bring, in a timely fashion, the latest advances and developments in robotics on a daily basis of their significance and quality. This time, the event took place in the Nevada desert. Unlike the previous event, this reached incredible popularity in the media, laying the foundation for more robotics competitions to come in the future. The 2005 competition also demonstrated the fast-growing progress including the feasibility of using mobile robots operating autonomously in a real-world scenario.

2007 Urban Challenge

After successfully creating a new venture and a platform to explore recent developments in robotics, DARPA conducted a third competition in 2007 under the name ‘urban challenge.’ The urban challenge featured driverless vehicles navigating a complex course in a staged city environment in Victorville, California. Autonomous vehicles were expected to tackle traffic issues and follow traffic rules at the same time. The teams were provided with maps to effectively plot the route. In the end, the Tartan Racing team led by Carnegie Mellon University banged first place. 

2012 Robotics Challenge

The 2012 Robotic Challenge by DARPA was aimed at promoting the innovations of human-supervised robotic technology for disaster-response operations. It was an emerging frontier back then when people realized that they can control loss of life if they use robots to carry out critical tasks. The competitors in the program developed robots that can utilize standard tools and equipment commonly available in the human environment. 

2017-2021 Subterranean Challenge

Entering into a subterranean location has been a risky task that humans undertake every day. Especially, for military and civilian first responders, it is very complex. Fortunately, the DARPA Subterranean or ‘SubT’ challenge was conducted to provide a novel approach to rapidly map, navigate, and search underground environments during time-sensitive combat operations or disaster response scenarios. The challenge started in 2018 and is continuing ever since.