May 31
We received our badges today and I learned that as an Exhibitor, I have a "Support Staff" badge that affords me unimpeded access to the Garage. Take that, Professional Journalists!
That's the good news. The bad news is that the Garage is supposed to be a "camera free" zone. (Oops) So no more Garage pics. As far as yesterday goes, I plead ignorance.
DARPA held the kick-off meeting tonight and we were graciously allowed to attend. Their estimate is that there will be between 700 and 1000 people participating in the competition. We were treated to a slide show highlighting some of the many innovations brought to the world by DARPA. The Internet, BTW, is one of those.
Tomorrow is "Move-In Day". Competing teams have a time slot for bringing their equipment into the Garage; intended to avoid a mad traffic jam. Depending on my own workload (because I do have a day job here) I may be able to stroll though a couple of times tomorrow. The last move-in slot is 11-11:30 AM, so I think I'll try to go through after lunch. No sense getting in the way. I expect a furious amount of activity.
This is where it really starts to get interesting.
BTW, DARPA will hold a sort of "portrait session" for the Robots in the Exhibitor's building, I think on Tuesday, and I should be able to get some good shots then.
Here are a few of the things Ill be watching for:
One is what type of drive devices the robots are using. I am told that many, if not all, use Electro-hydraulics. This can double the weight, as opposed to using all-electric drives. Some of the robots are pushing 400 lbs.
Another thing I'll be looking for is how things like flexing cables and hoses are managed. This often ends up being the bane of a robot's existence. The reason this is such a problem is that in most design efforts flexing cables are a design "no man's land". Electrical Engineers don't want to touch them because of the stringent mechanical requirements. Mechanical Engineers don't want to design them because, "hey, after all they're cables". That said, this is more of a problem in industrial settings where the customer expects millions of cycles of motion without failure.
Another, assuming they're visible, are connectors. These are also problemmatic, for the same reason they're a problem on your iPhone- motion.
I'll also be paying attention to the gait. Is the robot crouching when it walks (like say, the late Groucho Marx) or does it have a more straight-legged, natural gait? A natural gait is more efficient, energy consumption-wise, bit it takes a lot more computation.
Finally, it's worth noting that DARPA itself has over 300 people here as volunteers. Think about that the next time someone complains about "government bureaucrats". The contest hosts aren't even being paid!
Bravo, Brava DARPA Staff. I hope you enjoyed our Exhibitor booth on your Facility Tour today.
Once again, I hope you've found this a worthwhile read.
-Dave