After 461 days of preparation and five days of demonstrations displaying ground-breaking robotics technologies, three teams from the US have topped the inaugural Multi Autonomous Groundrobotics International Challenge (MAGIC 2010).
Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon announced the results of the competition, naming Team Michigan as the overall winner.
The team, from the University of Michigan, received a US$750,000 grant during an awards function at the Land Warfare Conference in Brisbane.
The team from the University of Pennsylvania placed second, earning a US$250,000 grant while the US team RASR (Reconnaissance and Autonomy for Small Robots), placed third and received a US$100,000 grant.
MAGIC 2010 is a joint initiative of Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the US Army.
The competition aims to accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous vehicle systems or robots that can operate effectively on the future battlefield in dangerous situations, keeping soldiers out of harm’s way.
The Challenge attracted 23 international entries, and five finalists were chosen to undertake a complex and increasingly difficult series of ‘missions’ over a 500-metre by 500-metre course at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds in early November.
Chief Judge for MAGIC and former Director of the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dr Tony Tether said, “The MAGIC Challenge was a lot like Kittyhawk except that instead of fighting we are witnessing the start of the future of autonomous robotic systems”.