[meteorite-list] NASA-WPI 2013 Robot Prize Competition Registration Open

[Ron Baalke]

Oct. 25, 2012

Sonja Alexander           
Headquarters, Washington                             
202-358-1761 
sonja.r.alexander at nasa.gov 

Eileen Brangan-Mell 
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass. 
508-831-6785 
ebmell at wpi.edu 

RELEASE: 12-377

NASA-WPI 2013 ROBOT PRIZE COMPETITION REGISTRATION OPEN

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in 
Worcester, Mass., have opened registration and are seeking teams to 
compete in next year's robot technology demonstration competition, 
which offers as much as $1.5 million in prize money. 

During the 2013 NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Challenge, teams will 
compete to demonstrate a robot can locate and retrieve geologic 
samples from a wide and varied terrain without human control. The 
objective of the competition is to encourage innovations in automatic 
navigation and robotic manipulator technologies. Innovations stemming 
from this challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a 
variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's 
robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth. 
The competition is planned for June 2013 in Worcester, Mass., 
attracting competitors from industry and academia nationwide. 

NASA is providing the prize money to the winning team as part of the 
agency's Centennial Challenges competitions, which seek 
unconventional solutions to problems of interest to the agency and 
the nation. While NASA provides the prize purse, the competitions are 
managed by non-profit organizations that cover the cost of operations 
through commercial or private sponsorships. 

"We've opened registration and are eager to see returning teams, and 
new challengers, enter this second Sample Return Robot Challenge," 
said NASA Space Technology Program Director Michael Gazarik at the 
agency's Headquarters in Washington. "Contests like NASA's Centennial 
Challenges are an excellent example of government sparking the engine 
of American innovation and prosperity through competition while 
keeping our nation on the cutting edge of advanced robotics 
technology. Teams from academia, industry and even citizen-inventors 
are all invited to join the competition and help NASA solve real 
technology needs. With a $1.5 million prize purse, we're looking 
forward to seeing some great technology that will enable our future 
missions and advance robotics right here in America." 

The first Sample Return Robot Challenge, which took place in June, 
also was held at WPI. While almost a dozen teams entered the 
competition, none qualified to compete for the prize purse. NASA and 
WPI are partnering again to repeat and advance the competition, which 
is expected to draw more competitors and greater technological 
innovation from among the teams. 

"We're honored and excited to once again host the Sample Return Robot 
Challenge," said WPI President and CEO Dennis Berkey. "This year, 
7,000 people turned out to watch the competition, which was the first 
of its kind on the East Coast, and to enjoy WPI's fantastic Touch 
Tomorrow Festival of Science, Technology and Robots. This university 
is a hub of expertise and innovation within the area of robotics, and 
it's a pleasure to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in the 
wonders of this competition, this festival, and this emerging field." 

There have been 23 NASA Centennial Challenges competition events since 
2005, and through this program NASA has awarded more than $6 million 
to 15 different challenge-winning teams. Competitors have included 
private companies, student groups and independent inventors working 
outside the traditional aerospace industry. Unlike contracts or 
grants, prizes are awarded only after solutions are successfully 
demonstrated. 

WPI is one of the only universities to offer bachelor's, master's, and 
doctoral degrees in robotics engineering. In 2007, the university was 
the first in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree program in this 
area. Through its Robotics Resource Center, WPI supports robotics 
projects, teams, events and K-12 outreach programs. Each year, WPI 
manages at least seven competitive robotics tournaments and also has 
sponsored programs that foster the use of robots to solve important 
societal problems and encourage consideration of the societal 
implications of this new area of technology. 

For more information about the Sample Return Robot Challenge and WPI, 
visit 

http://challenge.wpi.edu 

The Centennial Challenges program is part of NASA's Space Technology 
Program, which is innovating, developing, testing, and flying 
hardware for use in NASA's future missions. NASA's Space Technology 
Program and the Centennial Challenges are creating new technological 
solutions for NASA and our nation's future. 

For more information about NASA's Centennial Challenges and the Space 
Technology Program, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/challenges 
	
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