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The News:
Pentagon driven robot race are back in Los Angeles, California, USA. The winners of last year's are expected to take on another challenge this time too to develop a vehicle that can autonomously drive itself through congested city traffic, without any human intervention what so ever.
It is to take place in an undisclosed location in November 2007, and supported by the Pentagon's Defense’ Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to help development of autonomous military vehicles that could be deployed in war zones and emergency situations too risky for humans to enter.
The first prize, for the vehicle which finishes in less than six hours, is $2 million. Second and third prizes will be $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.
The Background:
What is a robot? Simply put, robot is a device that has and displays some functional autonomy in what it did to achieve its assigned goal. For example, a hominid robot designed to walk knows how to detect and overcome obstacles. Not only the human like robots we used to see in movies and TV are robots but even the complicated machines that do not even remotely look like having any form at all, in the car fabrication lines and hi-tech medical surgeries are also robots.
Well, so is it any body’s doubt why Pentagon need them? War or peace, Hot pursuit or Cold War, Pentagon always needed to or so it thinks, to innovate its arms, partly to keep US the superior power in the world and to intimidate everyone it (or rather it’s administration?) dislike!
Didn’t we accustom to think often that facts emulate fiction? Forgive me, but from gene splicing to mind reading, even teleportation became reality. So, why not the robo-warriors like those we see in Terminator films? Pentagon indeed, dreaming of using fully-autonomous robots in warfare. Or for that matter any government would embrace it. Of course, we must admit that such fully autonomous machines have many applications that are acceptable even to peace doves. Emergency attending in scenes of nuclear accidents, fire, earthquakes, exploration of unchartered territories in uninhabitable planets, space ships etc., are a few to mention.
So, What’s Happening there?
Stanford University’s unmanned Volkswagen named ‘Stanley’ won last year's desert race. It was among the 11 teams selected on October 2 (Birthday of Peace apostle Mahatma Gandhi of India!) to receive government grant for participaing in the Pentagon contest for robots to carry out a simulated military supply mission.
However, this time, Stanford reportedly teamed up with the German automaker again, will compete with a ‘Passat Sedan’. Stanford entry’s paraphernalia include the latest sensors, lasers and other high-tech gear for sensing and correction on journey. The car is already tested on a closed test course and will soon begin real tests after the software program is readied.
The competing robotic vehicles will be put to navigate through a complex 60-mile test course simulating a real city street’s traffic with all those moving manned and unmanned vehicles. Vehicles will be tested for sharp turns, navigating the traffic circles and avoiding obstacles such as utility poles, trees parked cars etc. They also have to obey traffic rules and laws while moving in traffic and pull into a assigned parking bay – to repeat – all autonomously using their robotics and artificial intelligence.
One thing to watch there is the rivalry of Stanford and Carnegie Mellon Universities of US. CMU won second and third places in 2005 with a converted Humvee and Hummer.
Later this month, DARPA will choose an undisclosed number of self-sponsored teams too. Let us wait for the promising action!
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