DARPA: 12 Teams Qualify for Subterranean Challenge Final

DARPA announced that 12 teams qualified for the final event of the Subterranean Challenge virtual competition, which will be held from Sept. 21 to 24. In the competition, autonomous algorithms operate robots in simulated underground environments and compete for a total prize of $1.5 million.

The competition allows autonomous navigation decision-making procedures to be compared under the same conditions in places that are dark, have unreliable communications or sensing, and are difficult for people to enter, such as underground mines, caves and urban underground spaces. Teams combine ground and aerial robot models and compete to find people in need of rescue, cellphones and hazardous gases, giving rescue agencies and the defense sector a basis for determining which configurations are suited to underground exploration.