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August 18, 2008, 08:18 AM ET
Flying Saucers and Mini-Tanks Highlight Spy Robot Competition
Eleven teams, including universities, defense contractors and small companies, are competing in the British Ministry of Defense’s Grand Challenge with autonomous information-gathering vehicles that include flying saucers, a mini tank, several mini-helicopters and darts, among other machines.
The winner of the competition, which launched Friday, will get a trophy and a potential contract with the Ministry of Defense. The multi-day challenge, the British response to the U.S. DARPA Grand Challenge, is taking place in a facsimile of a deserted German village built during the Cold War. The village serves as a training center for British troops, The Guardian reported.
During the competition, the robots have to identify threats such as potential snipers and enemy vehicles and other threats, with minimal human guidance. The machines then have to report the information back to troops preparing for an assault. The judges will reward accuracy and autonomy.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the student robotics group at the University of Maryland won an international underwater robotic competition earlier in August, and is preparing for another contest, this time for land robots, the university reported in a press release.—Maria José Viñas
Categories: Gadgets
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