Robots take to the slopes on sidelines of Winter Games
Robots take to the slopes on sidelines of Winter Games
Reuters•February 12, 2018
Robots take to the slopes on sidelines of Winter Games
DUNNAE, South Korea (Reuters) - While Alpine skiers
fought high winds at the Pyeongchang Games on Monday, there were no such
problems for robots competing in their own "Olympics" ski challenge.
Robots of all shapes and sizes skied, and in some cases
tumbled, down a course at the Welli Hilli ski resort, an hour's drive west of
Pyeongchang.
Eight robotics teams from universities, institutes and a
private company competed for a $10,000 prize in the Ski Robot Challenge.
"I heard the Alpine skiing has been postponed again
due to wind conditions. That's a pity," said Lee Sok-min, a member of the
winning TAEKWAN-V team.
"Robots are doing fine here," he said.
The teams had to meet specific requirements for entering
a ski-bot.
It had to be more than 50cm in height, stand on two
"legs" with joints resembling elbows and knees, have an independent
power system and use skis and poles.
The robots were equipped with camera sensors to detect
the blue and red flagpoles in their path and turn as they raced down a beginner's
hill.
"I'm amazed that the robots recognize the flags as
they can ski down while avoiding them," said 12-year-old spectator Son
Ki-ryong.
Teams were awarded points for the number of flagpoles
avoided and the fastest time to the finish line.
Organizers said they held the challenge to promote South
Korea's robotic technology during the Olympics.
"I think in the future robots will have their own
Winter Games on the sidelines of the Olympics held by humans," said
organizer Kim Dong-uk.
(Reporting by Yiming Woo and Hyun Oh, editing by Darren
Schuettler and Ed Osmond)
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