Engineers at
Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) National Robotics Engineering Center (NERC)
have developed CHIMP, a highly dexterous robot capable of tackling rough
terrain. CHIMP (CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform) has simian resemblance
but rubberised tracks on the extremities of its four limbs give it the
locomotion of a tracked vehicle. According to
CMU, this configuration offers an advantage when moving over debris. CHIMP can,
however, move on the treads of two limbs when needed, such as when tasked to
use one or more limbs to open a valve, or to operate power tools.
CHIMP will
have to perform these and other tasks during the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Robotics Challenge (DRC), in which robots will have
human-like capabilities to respond to events such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear
plant disaster. Climbing ladders and driving vehicles are said to be among the
obstacles robots will face in environments engineered for people. The NREC
entry, Tartan Rescue Team, is one of seven selected by DARPA for DRC Track A,
in which each team will develop its own hardware and software. In operation
CHIMP will be able to perform complex, physically challenging tasks through
supervised autonomy. On-board sensors build a texture-mapped, 3D model of the
environment that CHIMP uses to maintain stability and prevent collisions. The
same 3D model is said to enable an operator to visualise the location and
orientation of CHIMP and evaluate possible actions. The robot will also be
pre-programmed to execute tasks such as grasping a tool, stepping on a ladder
rung or turning a steering wheel without step-by-step direction from the human
controller, circumventing the lag between command and execution. ‘Humans
provide high-level control, while the robot provides low-level reflexes and
self-protective behaviours,’ said Tony Stentz, NREC director and Tartan Rescue
Team leader. ‘This enables CHIMP to be highly capable without the complexity
associated with a fully autonomous robot.’ The final DRC event will be held in
2014, with the winner receiving $2m. CHIMP will have to perform these and other
tasks during the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Robotics
Challenge (DRC), in which robots will have human-like capabilities to respond
to events such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Climbing ladders
and driving vehicles are said to be among the obstacles robots will face in
environments engineered for people. The NREC entry, Tartan Rescue
Team, is one of seven selected by DARPA for DRC Track A, in which each team
will develop its own hardware and software. In operation CHIMP will be able to
perform complex, physically challenging tasks through supervised autonomy.
On-board sensors build a texture-mapped, 3D model of the environment that CHIMP
uses to maintain stability and prevent collisions. The same 3D model is said to
enable an operator to visualise the location and orientation of CHIMP and
evaluate possible actions. The robot will also be pre-programmed to execute
tasks such as grasping a tool, stepping on a ladder rung or turning a steering
wheel without step-by-step direction from the human controller, circumventing
the lag between command and execution. ‘Humans provide high-level control,
while the robot provides low-level reflexes and self-protective behaviours,’
said Tony Stentz, NREC director and Tartan Rescue Team leader. ‘This enables
CHIMP to be highly capable without the complexity associated with a fully
autonomous robot.’