DARPA has created it’s largest robotics program to date: the DARPA Robotics $2 Million Challenge (DRC), to help the world’s resiliency to disasters through the use of robotics.

Some disasters prove too great in scale, scope or hazard for effective human response; hence the DRC’s challenge to develop ground robots capable of executing complex tasks in dangerous and degraded environments by using standard tools and equipment commonly available (hand tools to vehicles) using non-expert operators, supervised autonomy, and to provide effective operation even with low-fidelity and intermittent communication.

Proposals due this month; project will run for 27 months with three competitions, one virtual and two live.