A fleet of robots will venture into the unknown darkness of a cave in Carnegie Mellon University's attempt to win $2 million in the final round of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.
The robots will roll, fly and walk through tunnels, up and down stairs, and around obstacles in a simulated search-and-rescue mission. Their cameras not only see but also recognize what they are seeing. Their sensors build maps of the uncharted course as the robots explore. And it's all done autonomously.
Team Explorer, the SubT Challenge entry from CMU and Oregon State University, is in the last stage of preparation for the competition this month inside the Mega Caverns cave complex in Louisville, Kentucky. After placing first in Round 1 and second in Round 2, the team aims to repeat as top performers in the finals and take home a share of the $5 million prize money.
