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DARPA Robotics Challenge

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The DARPA Robotics Challenge ( DRC ) was a prize competition funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency . Held from 2012 to 2015, it aimed to develop semi-autonomous ground robots that could do "complex tasks in dangerous, degraded, human-engineered environments." The DRC followed the DARPA Grand Challenge and DARPA Urban Challenge . It began in October 2012 and was to run for about 33 months with three competitions: a Virtual Robotics Challenge (VRC) that took place in June 2013; and two live hardware challenges, the DRC Trials in December 2013 and the DRC Finals in June 2015.

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55-607: Besides spurring development of semi-autonomous robots, the DRC also sought to make robotic software and systems development more accessible beyond the end of the program. To that end, the DRC funded the adaptation of the GAZEBO robot simulator by the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) for DRC purposes and the construction of six Boston Dynamics ATLAS robots that were given to the teams that performed best in

110-505: A Handle robot performing a dance routine to the song " Do You Love Me ". On August 17, 2021, Boston Dynamics released a video of two Atlas robots running a parkour course with jumps, balance beams , and vaults . In another video released the same day, it is mentioned that Atlas is 5 feet tall (1.5m) and weighs 190 pounds (85kg). Atlas is battery-powered and hydraulically actuated with 20 degrees of freedom. It has RGB cameras and depth sensors which provide input to its control system. All

165-458: A difference. In particular, in disaster scenarios making society more resilient. The lesson of the original challenge [DARPA Grand Challenge - driverless cars] is that persistence pays. It’s important if you know the technology is almost there and you can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel, a little bit of persistence will pay off. What I’m hoping for in the trials is that some of the teams will score some points. I don’t think that any team

220-547: A head, two arms, and two legs, though some humanoid robots may replicate only part of the body. Androids are humanoid robots built to aesthetically resemble humans. The concept of a humanoid robot originated in many different cultures around the world. Some of the earliest accounts of the idea of humanoid automata date to the 4th century BCE in Greek mythologies and various religious and philosophical texts from China. Physical prototypes of humanoid automata were later created in

275-914: A human being can, so long as they have the proper software . However, the complexity of doing so is immense. Humanoid robots have had a long history in the realm of entertainment, from the conception and ideas in the story of Prometheus to the application and physical build of modern animatronics used for theme parks . Current uses and development of humanoid robots in theme parks are focused on creating stuntronics. Stuntronics are humanoid robots built for serving as stunt doubles, and are designed to simulate life-like, untethered, dynamic movement. Several Disney theme park shows utilize animatronic robots that look, move and speak much like human beings. Although these robots look realistic, they have no cognition or physical autonomy. Various humanoid robots and their possible applications in daily life are featured in an independent documentary film called Plug & Pray , which

330-403: A humanoid robot using electric actuators is HRP-2 . Hydraulic actuators produce higher power than electric actuators and pneumatic actuators, and they have the ability to control the torque they produce better than other types of actuators. However, they can become very bulky in size. One solution to counter the size issue is electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA). The most popular example of

385-518: A humanoid robot using hydraulic actuators is the ATLAS robot made by Boston Dynamics . Pneumatic actuators operate on the basis of gas compressibility . As they are inflated, they expand along the axis, and as they deflate, they contract. If one end is fixed, the other will move in a linear trajectory . A popular example of a pneumatic actuator is the Mac Kibben muscle . Planning in robots

440-577: A major concept, the Zero Moment Point (ZMP). Another characteristic of humanoid robots is that they move, gather information (using sensors) on the "real world", and interact with it. They do not stay still like factory manipulators and other robots that work in highly structured environments. To allow humanoids to move in complex environments, planning and control must focus on self-collision detection, path planning and obstacle avoidance . Humanoid robots do not yet have some features of

495-506: A self-funded project. SCHAFT was acquired by Google, which also acquired autonomous vehicle technologies from teams that competed in the DARPA Grand Challenge. The move of SCHAFT to track D frees up DARPA funding for additional finalists. THOR, ViGIR, and KAIST, each of which earned 8 points during the trials, will now compete in the finals, with KAIST continuing as a track D self-funded team. Team THOR and Team ViGIR will split

550-748: A suit of armor, capable of sitting, standing, and independently moving its arms. The entire robot was operated by a system of pulleys and cables. From the 17th to 19th centuries, the Japanese built humanoid automata called karakuri puppets . These puppets resembled dolls and were used for entertainment in theatre, homes, and religious festivals. Karakuri puppets that were used for theater plays were called butai karakuri . Small karakuri puppets found in homes, called zashiki kurakuri , were placed on tables to dance, beat drums, or serve drinks. The puppets used in religious festivals were known as Dashi karakuri , and they served to reenact myths and legends. In

605-446: A variety of terrain and environments. The question of walking biped robots stabilization on the surface is of great importance. Maintenance of the robot's gravity center over the center of bearing area for providing a stable position can be chosen as a goal of control. To maintain dynamic balance during the walk , a robot needs information about contact force and its current and desired motion. The solution to this problem relies on

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660-487: A video showing Atlas could withstand being hit by projectiles and balance on one leg. In 2014, Atlas robots programmed by six different teams competed in the DARPA Robotics Challenge to test the robot's ability to perform various tasks, including getting in and out of a vehicle and driving it, opening a door, and using a power tool . A variety of other robots also competed. The contest was inspired by

715-464: Is designed to operate both outdoors and inside buildings. It is specialized for mobile manipulation and is very adept at walking over a wide range of terrain, including snow, and can do back flips and cartwheels. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance, and it uses LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess the terrain, help with navigation, and manipulate objects, even when

770-514: Is going to score all the points that there are. Maybe no teams will even score half the points that there are. But I think some teams will do moderately well. My expectation is that the robots are going to be slow. What we’re looking for right now is for the teams to just do as well as roughly that one year old child. If we can get there, then we think that we have good reason to believe that some of these teams with continued persistence for another year will actually be able to demonstrate robots that show

825-400: Is ideal for these actuators to have high power, low mass, and small dimensions. Electric actuators are the most popular types of actuators in humanoid robots. These actuators are smaller in size, and a single electric actuator may not produce enough power for a human-sized joint. Therefore, it is common to use multiple electric actuators for a single joint in a humanoid robot. An example of

880-493: Is illuminated with blue LEDs . Atlas is equipped with two vision systems – a laser rangefinder and stereo cameras , both controlled by an off-board computer – and has hands with fine motor skill capabilities. Its limbs possess a total of 28 degrees of freedom . Atlas can navigate rough terrain and climb independently using its arms and legs, although the 2013 prototype version was tethered to an outside power supply. The new fully electric Atlas, revealed in 2024 following

935-444: Is the process of planning out motions and trajectories for the robot to carry out. Control is the actual execution of these planned motions and trajectories. In humanoid robots, the planning must carry out biped motions, meaning that robots should plan motions similar to a human. Since one of the main uses of humanoid robots is to interact with humans, it is important for the planning and control mechanisms of humanoid robots to work in

990-497: The Middle East , Italy , Japan , and France . The Greek god of blacksmiths, Hephaestus , created several different humanoid automata in various myths. In Homer's Iliad, Hephaestus created golden handmaidens and imbued them with human-like voices to serve as speaking tools or instruments. Another Greek myth details how Hephaestus crafted a giant bronze automaton named Talos to protect the island of Crete from invaders. In

1045-419: The 13th century, a Muslim engineer named Ismail al-Jazari designed various humanoid automata. He created a waitress robot that would dispense drinks from a liquid reservoir and appear out of an automatic door to serve them. Another automaton he created was used for hand washing to refill a basin with water after being drained. In the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci conceptualized a complex mechanical robot clad in

1100-449: The 18th century, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created a significant humanoid automaton called The Flute Player . This wooden, human-sized robot was capable of playing various melodies with the flute. It consisted of a system of bellows, pipes, weights, and other mechanical components to simulate to the muscles necessary to play the flute. Humanoid robots are now used as research tools in several scientific areas. Researchers study

1155-507: The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster , and carries a USD 2 million prize for the winning team. In the 2015 DARPA robotics finals Atlas from IHMC Robotics (named Running Man) came second behind the Korean team Kaist and their robot DRC-Hubo by a margin of six minutes, completing the entire course in a time of 50:26. On February 23, 2016, Boston Dynamics released video of a new version Atlas robot on YouTube. The new version of Atlas

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1210-571: The 3rd century BCE, a Taoist philosophical text called the Liezi , written by Chinese philosopher Lie Yukou , detailed the idea of a humanoid automaton. The text includes mention of an engineer named Yan Shi who created a life-size, human-like robot for the fifth king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, King Mu . The robot was primarily constructed of leather and wood. It was capable of walking, singing, and moving all parts of its body. In

1265-495: The Atlas robot to YouTube. In this video, Atlas was shown running across the grass on uneven terrain as well as jumping over a log lying on the grass. On October 12, 2018, Boston Dynamics released an update video of the Atlas robot to YouTube. In this video, Atlas was shown running around while jumping over boxes. On September 24, 2019, Boston Dynamics released another update video of the Atlas robot to YouTube. In this video, Atlas

1320-561: The DARPA funding, and Team THOR will further split into two teams after the move of its leader to a different university. The DRC Finals took place at the Fairplex in Pomona, California on June 5 and 6, 2015. Twenty-five of the top robotics organizations in the world gathered to compete for $ 3.5 million in prizes as they attempted a simulated disaster-response course. The 25 teams competing for

1375-538: The Finals are: In the Finals, three teams had a perfect score of 8. The tie was broken by their total time. First place went to Team KAIST with their DRC-Hubo robot and a winning time of 44 minutes and 28 seconds. Second place went to IHMC for Running Man, and third to Tartan Rescue of CMU NREC for Chimp. The robots performed better than expected. But there were a variety of failures indicating how difficult robotics remains. For example, Running Man fell over while waving to

1430-541: The PETMAN project by August 2014. The contest will also include "supervised autonomy" tasks in which non-expert operators will be allowed/required to complete tasks using the robotic vehicle. The Challenge will focus on the ability to complete such supervised autonomy tasks "despite low fidelity (low bandwidth, high latency, intermittent) communications." The DRC Trials occurred on December 20 and 21, 2013 in Florida. During

1485-574: The T-800 in Terminator and Megatron in Transformers . An Indian Tamil-language film which showed the pros and cons of a humanoid robot Chitti . Another prominent theme found in science fiction regarding humanoid robots focuses on personhood. Certain films, particularly Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 , explore whether or not a constructed, synthetic being should be considered

1540-569: The VRC. Dr. Gill Pratt, Program Manager DARPA Robotics Challenge described DARPA and its goals with the Robotics Challenge: DARPA's role is to spur innovation. And we do it by focused, short term efforts. We pick things that are not impossible, but also not very low risk. So we take very high risk gambles, and those risks have tremendous payoffs. So if we’re successful it means that these robots are actually going to be able to make

1595-628: The Virtual Robotics Challenge (VRC), after which successful teams may receive funding for subsequent stages. Applications for tracks A and B closed in May 2012. The track C application window closed on 18 December 2012, though late applications were still being considered as of January 2013, though participants may still download the DRC Simulator, an open-source application created by the Open Source Robotics Foundation. Track D

1650-620: The acceleration, from which velocity can be calculated by integration; tilt sensors to measure inclination; force sensors placed in robot's hands and feet to measure contact force with environment; position sensors that indicate the actual position of the robot (from which the velocity can be calculated by derivation); and even speed sensors. Arrays of tactels can be used to provide data on what has been touched. The Shadow Hand uses an array of 34 tactels arranged beneath its polyurethane skin on each finger tip. Tactile sensors also provide information about forces and torques transferred between

1705-664: The computation required for control perception and estimation happen in three onboard computers. On April 16, 2024, Boston Dynamics announced the retirement of Atlas on their YouTube channel. A new, fully electric version of Atlas was subsequently announced on April 17, 2024 through a YouTube video, featuring a comprehensive remodel and expanded range of motion. Atlas is intended to aid emergency services in search and rescue operations, performing tasks such as shutting off valves, opening doors and operating powered equipment in environments where humans could not survive. The Department of Defense stated in 2013 that it had no interest in using

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1760-457: The crowd after successfully completing all 8 tasks. Atlas (robot) Atlas is the name used for multiple robot models produced by Boston Dynamics. The first Atlas robot was a bipedal hydraulic humanoid robot primarily developed by the American robotics company Boston Dynamics with funding and oversight from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The robot

1815-427: The ears of the human being. Microphones are usually used for the robots to convey speech. Actuators are the motors responsible for motion in the robot. Humanoid robots are constructed in such a way that they mimic the human body. They use actuators that perform like muscles and joints , though with a different structure. The actuators of humanoid robots can be either electric, pneumatic , or hydraulic . It

1870-425: The enhancement of ordinary humans. See transhumanism . Humanoid robots are a valuable resource in the world of medicine and biotechnology, as well as other fields of research such as biomechanics and cognitive science. Humanoid robots are being used to develop complex prosthetics for individuals with physical disabilities such as missing limbs. The WABIAN-2 is a new medical humanoid robot created to help patients in

1925-501: The human body structure and behavior (biomechanics) to build humanoid robots. On the other side, the attempt to simulate the human body leads to a better understanding of it. Human cognition is a field of study which is focused on how humans learn from sensory information in order to acquire perceptual and motor skills. This knowledge is used to develop computational models of human behavior, and it has been improving over time. It has been suggested that very advanced robotics will facilitate

1980-438: The human body. They include structures with variable flexibility, which provide safety (to the robot itself and to the people), and redundancy of movements, i.e. more degrees of freedom and therefore wide task availability. Although these characteristics are desirable to humanoid robots, they will bring more complexity and new problems to planning and control. The field of whole-body control deals with these issues and addresses

2035-443: The impetus, the extra push the technology needs to do that. The Robotics Challenge will focus on disaster or emergency-response scenarios. Although the requirements may change as the contest progresses, the initial task requirements for robot entries is: The competition has been broken into multiple tracks. Tracks A and B receive DARPA funding, while Tracks C and D will receive no DARPA funding initially. Tracks B and C will go through

2090-523: The long-anticipated age of humanoid robots". Gary Bradski , a specialist in artificial intelligence , declared that "a new species, Robo sapiens , are emerging". The new fully electric Atlas, revealed in 2024 following the previous model's retirement, is designed to be a commercial solution for industry environments and the like, similar to Spot and Stretch. The new fully electric Atlas revealed in April 17, 2024 drew many fearful reactions, calling

2145-464: The need to turn back around again and return to Earth once the mission is completed. A sensor is a device that measures some attribute of the world. Being one of the three primitives of robotics (besides planning and control), sensing plays an important role in robotic paradigms . Sensors can be classified according to the physical process with which they work or according to the type of measurement information that they give as output. In this case,

2200-402: The new robot "unnerving", especially in reference to its reveal video. Humanoid robot A humanoid robot is a robot resembling the human body in shape. The design may be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments, for experimental purposes, such as the study of bipedal locomotion , or for other purposes. In general, humanoid robots have a torso,

2255-406: The objects are being moved. This version of Atlas is 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall and weighs 80 kg (180 lb). On November 16, 2017, Boston Dynamics released an update video of the Atlas robot to YouTube. In this video Atlas was shown jumping on boxes, turning 180 degrees while jumping and performing a backflip . On May 10, 2018, Boston Dynamics released an update video of

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2310-437: The practice and development of personalized healthcare aids, essentially performing as robotic nurses for demographics such as the elderly. Humanoids are also suitable for some procedurally-based vocations, such as reception-desk administrators and automotive manufacturing line workers. In essence, since they can use tools and operate equipment and vehicles designed for the human form, humanoids could theoretically perform any task

2365-511: The previous model's retirement, is stronger and possesses a wider range of movement in comparison to its predecessor. It can also move beyond the human range of motion. The new Atlas is based on the previous Atlas' progress, building on its history of previous innovation. The new Atlas' design is more humanoid and upright, and also has a head illuminated by a ring light on its face. The new Atlas will also have different "gripper variations" to handle objects. In October 2013 Boston Dynamics uploaded

2420-756: The proper coordination of numerous degrees of freedom, e.g. to realize several control tasks simultaneously while following a given order of priority. A common theme for the depiction of humanoid robots in science fiction pertains to how they can help humans in society or serve as threats to humanity. This theme essentially questions whether artificial intelligence is a force of good or bad for mankind. Humanoid robots that are depicted as good for society and benefit humans are Commander Data in Star Trek and C-3PO in Star Wars . Opposite portrayals where humanoid robots are shown as scary and threatening to humans are

2475-421: The rehabilitation of their lower limbs. Although the initial aim of humanoid research was to build better orthosis and prosthesis for human beings, knowledge has been transferred between both disciplines. A few examples are powered leg prosthesis for the neuromuscularly impaired, ankle-foot orthosis, biological realistic leg prosthesis, and forearm prosthesis. Humanoid robots can be used as test subjects for

2530-438: The robot and other objects. Vision refers to processing data from any modality which uses the electromagnetic spectrum to produce an image. In humanoid robots it is used to recognize objects and determine their properties. Vision sensors work most similarly to the eyes of human beings. Most humanoid robots use CCD cameras as vision sensors. Sound sensors allow humanoid robots to hear speech and environmental sounds, akin to

2585-417: The robot for offensive or defensive warfare. In the 2015 DARPA competition of robotics, Atlas was able to complete all eight tasks as follows: Atlas was unveiled to the public on July 11, 2013. The New York Times said that its debut was "a striking example of how computers are beginning to grow legs and move around in the physical world", describing the robot as "a giant – though shaky – step toward

2640-408: The robot's hands was developed by Sandia National Laboratories , while the other was developed by iRobot . In 2013, DARPA program manager Gill Pratt compared the prototype version of Atlas to a small child, saying that "a 1-year-old child can barely walk, a 1-year-old child falls down a lot ... this is where we are right now". Atlas is based on Boston Dynamics' earlier PETMAN humanoid robot, and

2695-477: The second approach was used. Proprioceptive sensors sense the position, orientation, and speed of the humanoid's body and joints, along with other internal values. In human beings, the otoliths and semi-circular canals (in the inner ear) are used to maintain balance and orientation. Additionally, humans use their own proprioceptive sensors (e.g. touch, muscle extension, limb position) to help with their orientation. Humanoid robots use accelerometers to measure

2750-505: The trials the robots were still teleoperated for the vast majority of tasks. The 16 teams that competed in the Trials were: * Maximal attainable number of points was 32 Team SCHAFT was originally track A, but switched to track D after Google's acquisition. X = Did not Attempt The top 8 teams (SCHAFT through TROOPER) were initially eligible for funding. However, after the completion of the trials, Team SCHAFT elected to move to Track D, as

2805-445: The utility that these things might have in a real disaster scenario. DARPA is in the innovation business, not in the development business. So, what we do is we wait for technology to be almost ready for something big to happen, and then we add a focused effort to catalyze the something. It doesn’t mean that we take it all the way into a system that’s deployed or to the marketplace. We rely on the commercial sector to do that. But we provide

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2860-494: Was initially designed for a variety of search and rescue tasks, and was unveiled to the public on July 11, 2013. In April of 2024, the hydraulic Atlas (HD Atlas) was retired from service. A new fully electric version was announced the following day. The design and production of Atlas were overseen by DARPA, an agency of the United States Department of Defense , in cooperation with Boston Dynamics. One of

2915-659: Was open for registration through October 2013. The signup site for Tracks C and D (no funding) shows illustrations of robots with most largely conforming to humanoid layouts (bipedal with two arms). Other configurations may be possible, however, as illustrated by the "Robosimian" illustration proposed by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Unlike previous Challenges, entrants to the DRC need not build their robots from scratch. DARPA will provide to some participants "a robotic hardware platform with arms, legs, torso and head. In August 2012, DARPA announced that it would pay about $ 10.9 million to Boston Dynamics to build seven platforms based on

2970-753: Was released in 2010. Though many real-world applications for humanoid robots are unexplored, their primary use is to demonstrate up-and-coming technologies. Modern examples of humanoid robots, such as the Honda Asimo, are revealed to the public in order to demonstrate new technological advancements in motor skills, such as walking, climbing, and playing an instrument. Other humanoid robots have been developed for household purposes, however excel only in single purpose skills and are far from autonomous. Humanoid robots, especially those with artificial intelligence algorithms , could be useful for future dangerous and/or distant space exploration missions , without having

3025-407: Was shown performing something akin to a floor routine in gymnastics. The robot demonstrates the ability to perform a handstand , somersaults , and rotations all in fluid succession. Boston Dynamics claims the robot was trained using "new techniques that streamline the development process". On December 29, 2020, Boston Dynamics released a music video featuring two Atlas robots, a Spot robot, and

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