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MAGIC 2010: Super-smart robots wanted for international challenge

MAGIC 2010

The Multi-Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC) 2010, is jointly sponsored by the US and Australian Departments of Defence; it will be conducted in Australia in conjunction with the Land Warfare Conference 2010. Research awards of US$750,000, US$250,000, and US$100,000 will be provided to the top three finalists that complete a series of increasingly complex assigned autonomous unmanned multivehicle intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks within an allotted time limit.

The event, which is designed to demonstrate emerging unmanned technologies necessary to meet a range of current and future requirements, is open to national and international organisations within industry and academia. It will be conducted in two phases: a two step down selection to five teams; followed by a multi-Unmanned Ground Vehicle challenge that features multiple autonomous unmanned vehicles conducting coordinated ISR missions in a mock urban environment.

The ultimate challenge will take place during the week commencing 8-14 November 2010 at a location to be announced (date) within the state of South Australia. The five teams selected to compete will also be invited to attend and present at the Australian Land Warfare Conference in Brisbane, Australia commencing 15-19 November 2010.

Down selection will take place in two phases: (i) an initial phase, which will be completed by 16th November 2009, in which ten teams will be initially selected and out of these up to five research awards of $100,000 granted for the maturation of the technology; and (ii) a final phase that takes place in June 2010, when the best five teams regardless of funding are selected to compete.

At the completion of the challenge, the successful teams will have the opportunities to seek funding through the Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) programs of Australia and the US.

The challenge is designed to test the ability of the multi-vehicle cooperatives to autonomously and dynamically coordinate, plan and re-plan their task allocation and execution strategies against a changing environment while simultaneously providing a unified situational awareness picture.

To succeed, a minimum of three unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) supervised by a maximum of two operators must autonomously coordinate their activities to safely, efficiently and effectively explore and map their environment and detect, locate, classify, recognise, track and neutralise** a number of static and mobile objects of interest (OOI).

Potential participants are encouraged to register their interest via the website www.dsto.defence.gov.au/MAGIC2010/, where more detailed information will be posted.

A series of participants’ conferences will also be held in Adelaide, Australia, Frankfurt, Germany and Warren MI, USA in July/August 2009 to brief interested competitors on all aspects of the challenge. Subject to interest other locations will be considered.

 

** PLEASE NOTE: Neutralise - does not imply weaponise.