Schaft Robot from Google Wins DARPA Rescue Challenge

DARPA Robotic challenge event in Miami, Florida, A Japanese robot called Schaft, owned by Google won a rescue challenge. This challenge of rescue is hosted by the Pentagon’s research group called DARPA.
Google’s Schaft robot had beaten its rivals by a way of margin on eight different tasks. This event gathered some of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots against each other from around the world. The challenge had series of complex tasks that the competing robots have to compete with each other to win. Schaft is a Japanese company that was recently acquired by Google as part of segue into robotics. Now we can say that Google has a best humanoid robot as it won the rescue challenge.

 

The Rescue Challenge of DARPA Comprises of Below Tasks

Drive a utility vehicle for some distance

Climbing 8 feet high ladder

Clear debris that blocking a doorway

Pull open a lever handled door

Crossing a distance on has only ramps, steps and blocks

Cutting a shape of triangle in a wall using a drill which is cordless

Close three air valves, each controlled by a different-sized wheel or lever

Unreel a hose and then screw its nozzle into a wall connector

After the competition, DARPA said it has been an inspiration to organize the challenge after it became clear robots were only capable of playing a very limited role in efforts to contain disasters such as Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan in the year of 2011. In a statement by program manager for DARPA Robotics Challenge, Mr. Gill Pratt said,” What we realize was … these robots couldn’t do anything other than observe. What they needed was a robot to go into that reactor building and shut off the valves.”