arkmundi
10 MW
http://wp.wpi.edu/touchtomorrow/the-challenge/
One more details to come...
Two more details to come latter...
Three more details to come latter after an initial set of meetings (online)...
http://technocopia.org/
Is a maker/hackerspace near the WPI campus being slowly put together and run by some recent WPI grads, some of whom were part of the WPI robotics department, so have in-roads. Some of the members are part of Neuron Robotics, and are currently working on a number of independent robotics projects. A few of these formed the Formicarum team led by Marcus Menghini. They spent 4 months this year and successfully fielded a robot that got off the platform. They'll be trying again next year.
I propose working with the Technocopia folks, other contributors from around the globe, and anyone who can contribute, whether with ideas, know-how, money, components or other means of active support. The opportunity suggests using the Technocopia space for on-going assembly & testing work. Components can come from anywhere in the world. So the final "team" are all such who make substantive contributions, ones that become part of the final design, are engineered, work and have been assembled into the final robot fielded.
An Invitation
This is an invitation to join the team! I believe all the know-how is here on the endless-sphere forum, in Technocopia, and among the extended contacts, including those implicitly involved at WPI. If interested, just reply to this thread.
- The Challenge just completed its third year. It continues until some team passes the entire Challenge test. It'll be a while.
- Anyone can assemble a team and enter the Challenge. It means fielding an autonomous robot that meets the strict guidelines, which are part of the document set - just read up.
- It may not require much, utilizing readily available components, in the way of start-up monies & ingenuity. There are high-school teams, family teams and more sophisticated university research department teams.
- There are two levels currently - a Level One and Level Two, which is more difficult. Pass the Level One Challenge and win $5,000. Any number of teams may accomplish that. Pass the Level One Challenge and you can come back the following year to attempt Level Two. The $5,000 prize is intended to reimburse costs in successfully fielding a robot.
- Pass the Level Two Challenge and the team wins $1,500,000. That's one of the incentives. There are other incentives as like this event is outrageously fun for everyone.
- I now intend to assemble a team using the crowd and open-source development approach. Any contributor will share in the fun, the glory and the prize money!
- As of now (June-2014), there are only two teams that have succeeded the Level One Challenge. One of those was last year, so they were back this year to attempt the Level Two Challenge. They choked. Meaning they'll try & try again. Meanings its an open opportunity. It could be years before a team succeeds in the most rudimentary of object collections.
One more details to come...
Two more details to come latter...
Three more details to come latter after an initial set of meetings (online)...
http://technocopia.org/
Is a maker/hackerspace near the WPI campus being slowly put together and run by some recent WPI grads, some of whom were part of the WPI robotics department, so have in-roads. Some of the members are part of Neuron Robotics, and are currently working on a number of independent robotics projects. A few of these formed the Formicarum team led by Marcus Menghini. They spent 4 months this year and successfully fielded a robot that got off the platform. They'll be trying again next year.
I propose working with the Technocopia folks, other contributors from around the globe, and anyone who can contribute, whether with ideas, know-how, money, components or other means of active support. The opportunity suggests using the Technocopia space for on-going assembly & testing work. Components can come from anywhere in the world. So the final "team" are all such who make substantive contributions, ones that become part of the final design, are engineered, work and have been assembled into the final robot fielded.
An Invitation
This is an invitation to join the team! I believe all the know-how is here on the endless-sphere forum, in Technocopia, and among the extended contacts, including those implicitly involved at WPI. If interested, just reply to this thread.
