Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge
Encyclopedia
The Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) is a 1.6 million dollar prize competition for autonomous mobile robots funded by TARDEC
and the DSTO
the primary research organizations for Tank and Defense research in the United States and Australia respectively. The goal of the competition is to create multi-vehicle robotic teams that can execute an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission in a dynamic urban environment. The challenge required competitors to map a 500m x 500m challenge area in under 3.5 hours and to identify and neutralize any static or mobile threats. The challenge event was conducted in Adelaide
, Australia during November 2010.
The University of Pennsylvania team won the Old Ram Shed Challenge due to their high rate of threat-identification.
, sensor fusion
, human-robot interaction,
and simultaneous localization and mapping
(SLAM).
United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
The United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center , located in Warren, Michigan, is the US Armed Forces' research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. It is part of the Research, Development and Engineering Command , a major...
and the DSTO
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation is a branch of the Australian Department of Defence which researches and develops technologies for use in the Australian defence industry....
the primary research organizations for Tank and Defense research in the United States and Australia respectively. The goal of the competition is to create multi-vehicle robotic teams that can execute an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission in a dynamic urban environment. The challenge required competitors to map a 500m x 500m challenge area in under 3.5 hours and to identify and neutralize any static or mobile threats. The challenge event was conducted in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia during November 2010.
Competitors
Initially 12 teams were selected for the competition, during the first downselection trial the top five teams were selected:- Cappadocia – Ankara, Turkey
- MAGICian – Perth, Australia
- RASR – Gaithersburg, Md.
- Team Michigan – Ann Arbor, Mich.
- University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia
The Event
Ultimately the overall goal of fully autonomous operations without human intervention was not achieved, however the Secretary for Defence stated “The competing vehicles demonstrated new advances in robotics technology, which are very promising for their potential deployment in combat zones where they can replace our troops in carrying out life-threatening tasks” and considered the competition a success.The Results
The official results of the competition were:- 1st - Team Michigan ($750,000 prize)
- 2nd - University of Pennsylvania ($250,000 prize)
- 3rd - RASR ($100,000 prize)
- 4th - MAGICian & Cappadocia
The University of Pennsylvania team won the Old Ram Shed Challenge due to their high rate of threat-identification.
Technology
Key technology used by all teams was computer visionComputer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
, sensor fusion
Sensor fusion
Sensor fusion is the combining of sensory data or data derived from sensory data from disparate sources such that the resulting information is in some sense better than would be possible when these sources were used individually...
, human-robot interaction,
and simultaneous localization and mapping
Simultaneous localization and mapping
Simultaneous localization and mapping is a technique used by robots and autonomous vehicles to build up a map within an unknown environment , or to update a map within a known environment , while at the same time keeping track of their current location.- Operational definition :Maps are used...
(SLAM).
- The University of Pennsylvania team consisted of only four members, all code was written using Matlab. The robots were equipped with omnidirecitonal vision.
- Team Michigan, a collaboration between the University of Michigan's APRIL Lab and Soar Technology, Inc. had the largest fleet of 14 robots, developed their own Inertial Measurement UnitInertial measurement unitAn inertial measurement unit, or IMU, is an electronic device that measures and reports on a craft's velocity, orientation, and gravitational forces, using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes. IMUs are typically used to maneuver aircraft, including UAVs, among many others, and...
, and created their skid steer robot chassis out of baltic birch plywood. Additionally, they had minimal reliance on GPS and used bandwidth limited 900 Mhz radios for all telemetry, imaging, and status communications between all robots and the ground station. The code was written primarily in Java and each robot was equipped with and actuated 2D LIDAR, along with a unique 2D barcodes for inter-robot recognition.
- MAGICian used the WAMbot robots developed by The University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University and Thales Australia. Code was written in C++ and Java. The robots were equipped with SICKSick AGSick AG is a company based in Waldkirch, Germany. It produces sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications. The company is active in the areas of factory and logistics automation and process automation....
laser scanners.
- RASR used the Foster-Miller TALONFoster-Miller TALONThe Foster-Miller TALON robot is a small, tracked military robot designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to combat. Over 3000 TALON robots have been deployed to combat theaters. -Overview:...
vehicle.