DARPA Robotic Challenge (DRC) has begun through which the defense agency will fund the selected teams to create hardware and software for robots to assist humans during emergency situations. The winning team gets $2 million.
DARPA also provides the open source DRC simulator for skilled software developers from around the world to participate in the challenge. The simulator is currently in its beta version and will be continuously updated in the following months.
Image from DRC Simulator v1.0
In the videos below, watch the Pet-Proto which is a predecessor to DARPA’s Atlas robot navigates by itself through the various obstacles on its path.
The teams selected for DARPA’s Robotic Challenge will to compete to make a humanoid or non-humanoid robot that could navigate through similar obstacles. These robots will have their own decision making capabilities, adaptability and mobility.
You can find instructions for downloading and installing the DRC simulator here:
