The robots in the Subterranean Challenge came in all shapes and sizes
DARPA
An international team with representatives from Switzerland and with participation of Armasuisse, the federal office for defence procurement, has won the three-year Subterranean Challenge robotics competition.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ts
Русский
ru
Швейцарцы победили в американском конкурсе робототехники
The contest is funded by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), part of the US Department of Defense.
The winning team, called CERBERUS, competed successfully against seven international teams from the robotics elite in the final in the US, Armasuisse said in a statementExternal link.
The team consisted of robotics researchers from Switzerland (federal technology institute ETH Zurich, Flyability SA), the US, UK and Norway.
In order to prepare as well as possible for the Subterranean ChallengeExternal link, the Swiss Drone and Robotics Centre from Armasuisse Science and TechnologyExternal link provided above-ground and underground facilities together with the Engineering/Rescue/ABC training unit of the Swiss Armed Forces. CERBERUS were able to test various different robots under realistic conditions in the facilities.
Four-legged walking robots
The robotics competition started in 2019 and reached its climax at the final in September 2021. The task set by the challenge was to explore the surrounding area as fast as possible with any number of robots and precisely locate items such as fire extinguishers, first aid equipment and dummies (to simulate human survivors).
Small aircraft and ground vehicles were used to tackle the tasks. In addition to more conventional wheeled and tracked vehicles, four-legged walking robots also played a key role. The winner of the challenge relied heavily on four-legged robots. Four Swiss ANYmal walking robots were deployed in the competition, one of them from the defence ministry.
DARPA conducted the competition to promote novel approaches to rapid mapping, navigation and search in underground environments. The challenge is one of the most demanding robotics competitions in the world.
More
More
Switzerland gears up to place robots in classrooms
This content was published on
Covid-19 has accelerated the transition to online teaching, raising questions about the role of robots in classrooms.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Ex-employee of Bank Pictet convicted of money laundering
This content was published on
The Geneva-based bank Pictet has been fined CHF2 million for shortcomings in its organisation which enabled a former asset manager to commit serious money laundering.
20 Minuten: last Swiss free daily to stop being printed
This content was published on
From the end of the year, there will no longer be a daily free newspaper in Switzerland: the TX Group is discontinuing the print version of "20 Minuten". Up to 80 full-time positions are to be cut in the editorial and publishing departments.
This content was published on
The Swiss population is in favour of compulsory military service and closer ties with NATO. These are the findings of the "Security 2025" study.
Irregular migration to Switzerland halves year-on-year
This content was published on
Irregular migration to Switzerland has decreased significantly. The figures from January to May show that only half as many illegal stays were recorded compared to the same period last year.
This content was published on
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to cut around 3,500 jobs as a result of financial cuts linked in particular to US decisions. Hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut, the UN agency said in Geneva on Monday.
Swiss government to help cantons in expelling rejected asylum-seekers
This content was published on
The federal government is to provide greater relief and support to the cantons when it comes to deporting people who are not entitled to asylum in Switzerland.
This content was published on
One in four people in Switzerland feels stressed often or almost always. Among the under-30s, the figure is as high as 40%.
This content was published on
The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is thawing faster and faster. The thawed top layers of permafrost have never been as thick as they were last year. This is shown by the latest data from the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.