An Australian team of robotics experts took out second place at the world’s leading robotics competition last month.
Organised by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the competition is about pushing the boundaries of autonomous robotic technology.
This year, six teams were tasked with running their robots through a series of underground caves, simulating real-world scenarios such as locating injured people or lost items. The robots also had to navigate variable conditions such as pockets of gas.
Points were awarded for correct identification and location of items, mapping the terrain and maintaining communication throughout the challenge.
CSIRO Robotics Group Leader Dr Navina Kottege led the team. He said it was an “amazing result” and the first time an Australian team had placed in the top two of a DARPA robotics challenge.
“This cements CSIRO’s place as a world leader in robotics and puts Australia firmly on the map in this increasingly important area of science,” he said.
The team will reinvest the $1.3 million prize into robotics research and development.
Watch the Australian team’s robots in action:
Love to see more than 30 seconds of this robotic wrangling