25 Robots Compete This Week in DARPA Challenge to Win $2 Million

The DARPA Robotics Challenge is one geeky event. The best robots from around to world are competing in simulated disaster-response situations. There are several humanoid robots competing that will make the whole event very futuristic.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge finals are finally here. This robot competition is years in the making. This Friday and Saturday 25 of the best robots will compete for the $3.5 million in prize money. The winning team will receive a $2 million grand prize, $1 million goes to the runner-up and $500,000 to the third-place team. The robots need to show off their skills in simulated disaster-response courses.

The goal of this DARPA challenge is ot develop robots that can operate in spaces that are designed for humans, use tools that are built for humans, and can be controlled with only minimal training by a people that are not robotics nerds. Combining all these skills could have robots assist human-led rescue missions in disasters.

From the 25 robot teams in the finals there are a whopping 12 from the United States. The robot loving Japan has five teams in the running and South Korea has three. Germany managed to get two teams into the finals. Hong Kong and Italy have each one team in the competition.

This “Geek Fest” is free to attend and open to the public. It takes place at Fairplex (home of the LA County Fair) in Pomona, California, just east of downtown Los Angeles. Via The DARPA Robotics Challenge site.