Korean Robot Makers Walk Off With $2 Million Prize By JOHN MARKOFF
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The winning robot, from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, can kneel and drive on wheels in addition to walking. The robots were graded on their ability to complete eight tasks, including driving a vehicle, opening a door and operating a portable drill.
The real news is the absence of Google, which would have likely dominated:
At the trials, held at the Homestead International Speedway in December 2013, Schaft, a group of Japanese roboticists that had been acquired by Google, dominated the competition. The Japanese team, which had spun off from the University of Tokyo to circumvent restrictions on military research, successfully completed all of the tasks they tried.
But after their success, Google decided to withdraw the team from competition. During the finals, the Schaft technology contributed to a redesign of seven bipedal Atlas robots that were supplied to teams in the contest by Boston Dynamics, another company that Google acquired.
from Stowe Boyd http://stoweboyd.com/post/120933505382
