A million dollar international competition challenging research organizations to build fully autonomous ground robots that could operate effectively in military operations was announced yesterday by Australia’s Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science Greg Combet.
Australia’s Defence Science & Technology Organization (DSTO), in partnership with the U.S .Department of Defense, created the competition called the Multi-Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC). The competition is valued at $1.6 million.
“This competition aims to attract the most innovative solutions from around the world to address a technology gap currently faced by coalition forces operating in urban combat zones,” Combet said. “While remote-controlled robots are being deployed in operational areas, we need smart, intelligent and fully autonomous systems that can take over from humans in conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.”
The goal is to improve safety for military personnel, with robots carrying out what is often described as the dull dirty and dangerous work.
“The challenge for the competitors is to develop a proposal demonstrating teams of robotic vehicles that can autonomously coordinate their activities and execute a mission in a changing urban environment,” Combet said. “The robots must detect, monitor and neutralize a number of potential threats to meet the challenge goals and an international panel of experts will judge the entries.”
The first five short-listed competitors will each receive research grants of $100,000 to develop proposals into prototypes, he said. After a successful prototype demonstrations in Australia next year, the top three finalists will receive research awards of $750,000, $250,000 and $100,000, respectively.
“These finalists also have the unique opportunity to qualify for further funding under the U.S. Joint Concept Technology Demonstrator (JCTD) Program, so that their prototypes can be transitioned into operational capability,” Combet said. “If an Australian competitor is among the top three finalists, that organization would also be considered for funding under the Capability & Technology Demonstrator Program managed by DSTO.”
“Australia will also have access to these capability developments,” Combet said.
The five shortlisted competitors will be invited to present their projects at the Land Warfare Conference in November 2010.
Competition details are at: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/MAGIC2010/