Darpa's Robotic Gladiators Will Battle on This Disaster Course

In a robotic twist on American Gladiators, 17 robots and their teams will descend upon Florida this week to see which ones have the greatest superhero potential.

DARPA, the Pentagon's research wing, is turning to robots to respond alongside humans when there's a natural or human-made disaster — an initiative that DARPA says was triggered by the 2011 earthquake in Japan that caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.

At the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials Friday and Saturday at the Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., robot prototypes will be run through a challenge course consisting of eight tasks to evaluate robots' perception, autonomous decision-making, mobility, dexterity and strength — all the qualities DARPA expects robots would need to work in disaster scenarios.

Speed, however, is not one of the qualities that will be tested. Robots will be given 30 minutes to perform each of the eight tasks once over the course of the two-day event, although DARPA expects that not all of the teams will be able to complete every task.

"We know the robots are slow and unsteady at this point—they’re much like a one-year-old human in terms of locomotion and grasping abilities and much farther behind that in brainpower," said Gill Pratt, DARPA program manager, in a statement.

"The robots are taking ‘baby steps’ this year, but their performance will establish a reference point for what we can expect from the teams that return next year for the DRC Finals," said Pratt. "We want that event to be much more difficult and force the robots to demonstrate useful capabilities in realistic disaster scenarios."

Teams from MIT, NASA and Boston Dynamics, among 14 others, will compete for as many as eight spots to continue to receive DARPA funding to advance their robot for the DRC Finals scheduled for late 2014.

Here's a look at the competition course, designed to simulate what robots encounter in disaster zones:

According to DARPA, the robots will encounter these tasks and challenges over the two days:

Drive and Exit Utility Vehicle: The hardest single task and the one that requires the most robot-human interaction. The operators must direct the robots to drive the vehicle safely despite occasional communications disruptions. Getting out of the driver’s seat poses significant strength and dexterity challenges for the robots.

Walk Across Rough Terrain: The robots must maintain their balance and identify safe routes for placement of limbs.

Remove Debris From Doorway: Robots must demonstrate a wide range of motion, in addition to balance and strength, to clear a path forward.

__Open Series of Doors: __Moving the doors in an arc challenges the robots’ perception and dexterity. The robots must figure out how to align and move themselves as they open each door.

Climb Industrial Ladder: To avoid falls, the robots must safely navigate the ladder and maintain their balance as they climb. Strength is required to stop a fall.

Cut Through Wall: Using power tools tests the robots’ strength, dexterity and ability to perceive their environment. The robots must also simultaneously apply rigid force to hold a tool, yet demonstrate the flexibility to smoothly manipulate it.

Carry and Connect Fire Hose: The robots must identify the standpipe and then transport a bulky, non-rigid item (the fire hose) to it. The robots must then have sufficient dexterity and strength to attach the hose to a standpipe and open the spigot.

Locate and Close Leaking Valves: The robots must identify the valves, determine which ones are open and have sufficient range of motion to turn the valve wheels in an arc to close them.

Atlas, one of the robots in the competition, has received significant attention for its human-like abilities.