DTU Elektro's Automation and Control group has passed the 2nd qualifying round of the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC). The challenge which is named after the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is considered one of the most difficult and highly esteemed robotic competitions in the world.
MBZIRC has received 143 applications from 35 countries, with most of the applications coming from leading robotics laboratories at top universities. After the 1st qualifying round only 31 teams were still in the running and now the number is down to 28 teams.
The competition consists of four challenges:
- Challenge 1 requires an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to locate, track and land on a moving ground vehicle.
- Challenge 2 requires an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to locate and reach a panel, and physically operate a valve on the panel.
- Challenge 3 requires a team of UAVs to collaborate to search for, locate, track, pick up, and place down a set of static and moving objects.
- The Grand Challenge requires a team of robots (UAVs and UGVs) to compete in a triathlon type event that combines challenges 1, 2 and 3.
The committee behind MBZIRC considers that robotics has the potential to have an impact that is as transformative as the internet, with robotics technology poised to fuel a broad range of next-generation products and applications in a diverse array of fields.
The final competition
The final competition takes place on 16-18 March 2017 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and thus the team consisting of three associate professors Nils Axel Andersen, Ole Ravn and Jens Christian Andersen together with Assistant Professor Søren Hansen and Robotics Engineer Thomas Timm Andersen are busy preparing for the challenge.
The aim of the MBZIRC competition organized by the Khalifa University is to demonstrate the current state of the art in robotics in terms of scientific and technological accomplishments, and to inspire the future of robotics. The prizes of the competition are totaling USD 5 million.
For more information on the robotic challenge visit MBZIRC's website.