NIST Launches National Competition to Make Robots More Agile

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Cross-Posted from NIST Intelligent Systems Division Press Release

Manufacturers, robot suppliers and researchers, here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor of an upcoming national competition intended to help make robots handier and nimbler performers on the factory floor.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching ARIAC—the Agile Robotics for Industrial Automation Competition, a joint effort with the IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering. Now in the planning stages, this first-ever, simulation-based competition aims to inspire applications of the latest advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies to solve the challenge of making robots more capable, versatile and collaborative, as well as easier to program.

Click to continue reading on the NIST website.

Editor's note: We encourage contestants to utilize ROS-Industrial open source software for their development efforts. In particular, the Industrial MoveIt! package may be helpful for motion planning.

Robot challenged to demonstrate its dexterity on NIST test artifacts. The new ARIAC competition will focus on agility—how well robots can perform a diverse set of tasks and how quickly they can be re-tasked.Photo Credit: NIST/D. Russell

Robot challenged to demonstrate its dexterity on NIST test artifacts. The new ARIAC competition will focus on agility—how well robots can perform a diverse set of tasks and how quickly they can be re-tasked.Photo Credit: NIST/D. Russell