Feb 8 2011
‘Team Michigan’ of the University of Michigan bagged the first prize in the Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC 2010).
The winning team was offered a five-foot check of $750,000 by Jim Overholt, TARDEC's Army Senior Research Scientist – Robotics.
MAGIC 2010 is a combined effort of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center and Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organization. The contest is focused on developing robot teams, which could function on their own during crisis, keeping warriors away from danger.
During the contest, 14 robots of the ‘Team Michigan’ were controlled by two members of the team, defeating rest of the teams in a complex mapping assignment.
Jim Overholt congratulated the Team Michigan. He mentioned that he was excited to see the technologies showcased by all the teams and he assured them that this event will serve as a turning point for their warriors.