International contest for nuclear disaster robots

May 29, 2015

Japan's presence grows at contest for nuclear disaster robots

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201505290009

By HISATOSHI KABATA/ Staff Writer

Prompted by government funding, five Japanese teams will compete in an international contest that tests robots’ response and rescue abilities in nuclear disasters.

The Robotics Challenge, inspired by the Fukushima nuclear accident that started in March 2011, will be held June 5 and 6 in Pomona, California.

Twenty-five teams from six countries and one region will enter the event sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The finalist robots must tackle eight tasks within an hour under scenarios that simulate real-world nuclear disasters. For example, they will be tested on their abilities to travel through rubble, drive a vehicle, open doors, operate valves, use a tool to break through a wall, and climb an industrial ladder.

All competing teams can receive research and development funds from the U.S. military.

However, Japanese universities and research institutes have been reluctant to receive such money apparently because of the military connection. The Japanese finalists said they have no intention of accepting prize money even if they win.

The only Japanese team that participated in the Robotics Challenge semi-finals in 2013 was a venture team from the University of Tokyo.

But the Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry is promoting Japan’s strengths in applying robotics for disaster response efforts.

The ministry’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization sought candidates for the Robotics Challenge and offered 100 million yen ($813,000) each to three teams over a two-year period: the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) based in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture; the University of Tokyo; and a combined team of the University of Tokyo, the Chiba Institute of Technology, Osaka University and Kobe University.

In early May, the AIST team repeatedly tested a bipedal walking robot on a course featuring a steep ladder, doors and valves. The test area also contained a road where concrete blocks were scattered randomly.

The robot calculated the locations, sizes and shape of the blocks before walking carefully through the course.

“This is a good opportunity to grasp where our team stands in robotics research,” said Fumio Kanehiro, the team leader who heads the institute’s humanoid research group. “We hope our robot will successfully complete the tasks.”

A ministry official said, “There is no possibility of technology transfers to the United States.”