CHIMP Makes Tracks for DARPA’s Robotics Competition

Photo courtesy Carnegie Mellon University.

By Brett Davis



To meet DARPA’s request for a robot that can mimic human dexterity, Carnegie Mellon University is building a human-sized robot that moves on all fours using rubberized tracks at the ends of its arms.



Although named CHIMP (for CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform), the robot moves more like a tank, which offers benefits when crossing rough terrain, CMU says.



“But CHIMP can also move on the treads of just two limbs when needed, such as when it must use one or more limbs to open a valve or operate power tools,” says a university press release.



CHIMP is aimed at DARPA’s Robotics Challenge, which seeks to build robots that can respond to disasters, such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, and move around in human-centered environments without requiring special tools.



The robot will be partially human controlled, with an operator controlling its path and actions while the robot avoids obstacles and maintains stability as it moves. It will be preprogrammed for certain tasks, such as grasping a tool.



“Humans provide high-level control, while the robot provides the low-level reflexes and self-protecting behaviors,” says Tony Stentz, director of CMU’s National Robotics Engineering Center and leader of Tartan Rescue Team, as the CHIMP team is known.



The team is competing under Track A for the DARPA program, which calls for each entrant to develop its own hardware and software.