September 28, 2021
Organised by the US Government research agency DARPA and spanning a three-year-period, the Subterranean Challenge was designed to push the boundaries of autonomous robotic technology. Scientists were tasked with remotely running the robots in an underground environment that simulated a real-world scenario. This included locating models representing lost or injured humans, backpacks, or phones, as well as variable conditions such as pockets of gas Points were awarded for correct identification and location of items, mapping the terrain, and maintaining autonomy and communications throughout. The competition culminated in a final event held inside the Louisville Mega Cavern in Louisville in Kentucky. Made up of members from CSIRO’s Data61, CSIRO spin-out robotics company Emesent, and the Georgia Institute of Technology, the team competed under the name ‘CSIRO’s Data61’ and won the preliminary round before being awarded second in the final circuit. Leader of team CSIRO’s Data61 and CSIRO’s Robotics group leader, Dr Navinda Kottege said: “This is an amazing result! We are the…