March 28, 2011
The high cost of state-of-the-art robots often creates barriers to widespread research and breakthroughs in the field. Virtual robot simulators have increased the accessibility of robotics and mobility research. But few widely available platforms exist to validate simulations on actual machines. To overcome both these challenges, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has combined virtual simulation with laboratory testing as part of its Autonomous Robotics Manipulation (ARM) program.
The ARM simulator, built upon the open-source Gazebo simulator, is a physically realistic representation of DARPA’s ARM robot. Participants in DARPA’s ARM Outreach Track may download the simulator to code a simulated robot to interact with objects in its environment. Later this spring, participants will be able to schedule an upload session and watch in real-time over the web as the ARM team runs participant code on an ARM robot.
The goal of the four-year ARM program is to develop software and hardware that enables robots to autonomously grasp and manipulate objects in unstructured environments, with humans providing only high-level direction. Besides a number of university and industrial research teams, the general public is invited to participate in the program in an Outreach Track.
Those wishing to participate in the ARM Outreach Track should visit www.theARMrobot.com/trac for information. The site features tutorials, frequently asked questions, and example applications to guide participants.
An ARM robot will be exhibited, April 7 through the end of May, at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in the Spark!Lab of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation. The interactive display will allow visitors of all ages to play games with the ARM robot and learn how robotics technology impacts society, past, present, and future. National Robotics Week activities at the Spark!Lab take place April 7 to 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visit http://americanhistory.si.edu/ for more information.
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Media with inquiries, contact DARPA Public Affairs, DARPAPublicAffairsOffice@darpa.mil