They Can LearnThey Can Learn, NASA and the Space Foundation announce SpaceFIRST 2015 Robotics Prize
Press Release March 31, 2009
Colorado Springs -- Belinda Jacquez, CEO of They Can Learn, announced the SpaceFirst 2015 Robotics Prize today at the 25th National Space Symposium. According to Dr. Jacquez, "the purpose of this competition is to speed up the development of tactical robots that support high-risk ventures such as a Lunar Outpost and the colonization of Mars. Engineering robots to do hazardous work in space will undoubtedly save lives, time and money."
They Can Learn, in partnership with NASA JPL and the Space Foundation, expects the competition to prototype a new generation of space robots that adapt to extreme and changing conditions. Smart space robots that learn on the job will effectively speed up the construction of a lunar outpost by eliminating costly and time-consuming accidents to humans. Robots will do the dirty work building the first lunar outpost and keeping it operational, taking the place of astronauts performing dangerous tasks such as excavation, mining, construction, maintenance and repair.
Contest Divisions
Contest divisions mirror the tasks that robots are anticipated to perform on the lunar surface.
Excavation -- Before construction can begin, the lunar regolith must be leveled for landing craft, transport, energy farms and buildings. Robots must be capable of overcoming the magnetic properties of abrasive lunar dust.
Mining and Drilling -- The majority of construction materials cannot be transported from earth. Concrete, silica and water must be mined and collected from the moon. Robots will be critical for mining and drilling.
Construction -- Prefabricated structures for the outpost will be flown from earth. Crews of construction robots will be used for positioning and assembling the structures using earth-made and moon-made materials.
Maintenance and Repair -- Extreme temperature ranges, lunar dust, moon quakes and meteorites are problems that will require continuous attention. Equipping robots to perform monitoring, cleaning and repair tasks will free up astronauts for other critical mission work.
Rules
This is an open competition. Any individual or organization may submit a robot.
To qualify, each robot must be videotaped performing a complex task in at least two of the contest divisions. Robots that perform multiple tasks are particularly valued. The optimum for lunar development is a small number of multipurpose robots rather than a large number of robots that each perform only one function. Robots should be able to utilize numerous tools, just as humans do.
Robots accepted for the testing phase will be given a variety of tasks to perform in a test chamber that simulates the lunar surface: extreme high and low temperatures, electrically charged dust, moon quakes and bombardment by cosmic particles. While the general nature of the tasks is known in advance, the specific tasks will not. This requires that the robots can be programmed on the site and be equipped with the tools appropriate for the tasks. Winning robots will out-perform the competition, improving their facility over subsequent trials, showing that they can learn from their own task performance.
Download the comprehensive list of contest rules
$250,000 division prizes
Robots submitted to the competition may compete in one or more categories. Each division carries a first prize of $250,000. One robot may win in more than one division. Winning prototypes will be developed for lunar deployment.
Registration
Registration opens December 1, 2009. To request application materials, email registration@theycanlearn.com.