DARPA was down at Robber Baron a few weeks ago. Our site was not picked. They do some pretty impressive stuff.
Mike On Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 8:31 AM Jon Cradit <jcra...@edwardsaquifer.org> wrote: > > > > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.jpl.nasa.gov%253Futm_source%253DiContact%2526utm_medium%253Demail%2526utm_campaign%253Dnasajpl%2526utm_content%253Ddaily-20200227-1&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=wKU2k2GHADfPqkR7P8GW5yP5R0mHNhXs6lOeNuDCMTk%3D&reserved=0> > > > > DAY IN REVIEW > > [image: NASA JPL latest news release] > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.jpl.nasa.gov%252Fnews%252Fnews.php%253Ffeature%253D7607%2526utm_source%253DiContact%2526utm_medium%253Demail%2526utm_campaign%253Dnasajpl%2526utm_content%253Ddaily-20200227-1&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=ws7befmskZdbMsagi2PrueXR1fLYoop%2Bvy6oCtx5aJ0%3D&reserved=0> > > Robots Autonomously Navigate Underground in DARPA Challenge > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.jpl.nasa.gov%252Fnews%252Fnews.php%253Ffeature%253D7607%2526utm_source%253DiContact%2526utm_medium%253Demail%2526utm_campaign%253Dnasajpl%2526utm_content%253Ddaily-20200227-1&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=ws7befmskZdbMsagi2PrueXR1fLYoop%2Bvy6oCtx5aJ0%3D&reserved=0> > > Whether robots are exploring caves on other planets or disaster areas here > on Earth, autonomy enables them to navigate extreme environments without > human guidance or access to GPS. > > The Subterranean Challenge > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.subtchallenge.com%252F&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=TpV4yWnat7vUjI0jeHOrIAICMCQtLJr4j%2B2rS7RJobw%3D&reserved=0>, > or SubT, is testing this kind of cutting-edge technology. Sponsored by the > Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the contest concluded > its second circuit on Wednesday, Feb. 27. Taking first in the competition > was CoSTAR > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fcostar.jpl.nasa.gov%252F&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=0VrgW%2BCSXshIgF6JDKorJyuJbW7JtJ4ALR6gKTSdVq4%3D&reserved=0>, > a 12-robot, 60-person team led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (there > were also winners declared for a separate, virtual competition > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.darpa.mil%252Fnews-events%252F2020-02-27&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=rGHvQnXzRrLrknpPVw5fEQqP0%2Fm%2Bp4clzqZ4ZbBT4Hg%3D&reserved=0> > ). > > SubT is divided into four circuits spread over three years. With each, > teams program their robots to navigate a complex underground course. The > first contest > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.jpl.nasa.gov%252Fnews%252Fnews.php%253Ffeature%253D7477%2526utm_source%253DiContact%2526utm_medium%253Demail%2526utm_campaign%253Dnasajpl%2526utm_content%253Ddaily-20200227-1&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=%2BYgCd6vsQdMkuqLNsPdSChB1oXcPEbosQQilExQbXcs%3D&reserved=0>, > held last August, took place in a mine. For the most recent, called the Urban > Circuit > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.darpa.mil%252Fabout-us%252Fsubterranean-challenge-urban-circuit&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=SxQ12FgUjQTpxGRsok%2BQ7QW2TXHxYHn0I9zxMT%2F7Hv8%3D&reserved=0>, > teams raced against one another in an unfinished power plant in Elma, > Washington. > > Each team's robots searched for a set of 20 predetermined objects, earning > a point for each find. For the Urban Circuit, CoSTAR earned 16 points; the > No. 2 team, with 11 points, was Explorer, led by Carnegie Mellon University. > > "The goal is to develop software for our robots that lets them decide how > to proceed as they face new surprises," said CoSTAR's team lead Ali Agha of > JPL. "These robots are highly autonomous and for the most part make > decisions without human intervention." > > CoSTAR, which stands for Collaborative SubTerranean Autonomous Robots, > brought machines that can roll, walk or fly, depending on what they > encounter. Along the way, the bots have to map the environment and find > objects like a warm mannequin that simulates a disaster survivor or a lost > cellphone with a Wi-Fi signal. This particular course, which aims to > simulate an urban environment, also included a carbon dioxide leak and a > warm air vent. > > Joining the team for the Urban Circuit was a four-legged robot called > Spot, which was provided by Boston Dynamics. > > "One of the two courses we had to run had multiple levels, so it was great > that the Boston Dynamics robots were fantastic on stairs," says Joel > Burdick, a Caltech professor and JPL research scientist. He is the leader > of the Caltech campus section of the CoSTAR team. > > As the bots explore, they send back video and digital maps to a single > human supervisor, who they remained in radio contact with for the first 100 > feet (30 meters) or so of the course. They can extend that range by > dropping communications nodes, a kind of wireless repeater. > > Once out of contact, it's up to each robot to decide whether to proceed or > backtrack in order to update the team. Each must also rely on fellow robots > to access different levels of the course. For example, a wheeled robot > might request a quadrupedal one to climb or descend a flight of stairs. > > "These courses are very, very challenging, and most of the difficulty lies > in communicating with the robots after they've gone out of range," Agha > said. "That's critical for NASA: We want to send robots into caves on the > Moon or Mars, where they have to explore on their own." > > Mapping caves on the Moon or Mars could identify good shelters for future > astronauts. Moreover, if it exists at all, microbial life has a better > chance of survival under the surface of Mars or within the icy seas of > planetary moons, like Europa, Enceladus and Titan. NASA wants to search for > life in these regions, where robots would be frequently out of contact. > > The next circuit in the Subterranean Challenge will be set in an > undisclosed natural cave network this August. A final circuit that blends > tunnels, urban environments and natural caves will take place in August of > 2021. Teams competing in that final event have the opportunity to win up to > $2 million in funding from DARPA. > > CoSTAR, includes JPL; Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA; MIT; KAIST > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kaist.edu%252F&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=8M6auRtjBm3y4FmhyHSTfJsm1%2BV8SYT6CifaJ9Q5G2Q%3D&reserved=0> > (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology); Sweden's Lulea > University of Technology > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.icptrack.com%2Ficp%2Frelay.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26msgid%3D285269%26act%3DJFXT%26c%3D1389932%26destination%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ltu.se%252F&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=3OfINaJE6BqhhgYR8oW2hObM6RKIqV9O2957nCRDW%2Bo%3D&reserved=0>; > and industry partners. > > > > *Manage Your Subscription * > <https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.icontact.com%2Ficp%2Fmmail-mprofile.php%3Fr%3D11056022%26l%3D11365%26s%3DJFXT%26m%3D285269%26c%3D1389932&data=01%7C01%7Cjcradit%40edwardsaquifer.org%7C6f53fe482d244fa76a6d08d7bc06ad38%7C5c22012be3bb4a79903b5ca9e5027fc5%7C0&sdata=dpnaAy2PBkV%2BArRCcnRD2WIWj44kw3ZUdKrcdPtlrH0%3D&reserved=0> > > This message was sent to *jcra...@edwardsaquifer.org > <jcra...@edwardsaquifer.org>* from *jplnewsr...@jpl.nasa.gov > <jplnewsr...@jpl.nasa.gov>* > > NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory > NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory > 4800 Oak Grove Dr > Pasadena, CA 91109 > > Don't click links or attachments unless you know they're safe. > > *- EAA Helpdesk* > ------------------------------ > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers >
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