Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761
sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 11-034
NASA AND WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ARE CHALLENGE PARTNERS
WASHINGTON -- NASA has signed an agreement with the Worcester
Polytechnic Institute (WPI) of Worcester, Mass., to manage the Sample
Return Robot Challenge, one of the agency's new Centennial Challenges
prize competitions.
The challenge will demonstrate how a robot can locate and retrieve
geologic samples from varied terrain without human control. This
challenge has a prize purse of $1.5 million. The objective of the
competition is to encourage innovations in automatic navigation and
robotic manipulator technologies.
Innovations stemming from this challenge are intended to improve
NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space and
enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and
applications on Earth.
"WPI has significant experience managing robotic competitions and
brings extensive subject matter expertise to the partnership, making
them a great choice to manage the Sample Return Robot Challenge,"
said Larry Cooper, program executive for NASA's Centennial Challenges
Program at agency headquarters in Washington. "We look forward to WPI
overseeing the competition and bringing together innovative teams
with creative problem-solving ideas."
In response to a NASA solicitation, WPI submitted a proposal last fall
for this partnership opportunity. The institute will begin detailed
preparations for the challenge, publish rules and register
competitors. The competition is expected to take place in the spring
of 2012.
In the Centennial Challenges program, NASA provides the prize purse
but the competitions are managed by non-profit organizations that
cover the cost of operations through commercial or private
sponsorships. This agreement marks the first time NASA has partnered
with a university to manage a Centennial Challenge.
The Centennial Challenges seek unconventional solutions to problems of
interest to NASA and the nation. Competitors have included private
companies, student groups and independent inventors working outside
the traditional aerospace industry. Unlike contracts or grants,
prizes are awarded only after solutions are successfully
demonstrated.
There have been 20 Centennial Challenges competition events since
2005. NASA has awarded $4.5 million to 13 different challenge-winning
teams.
Last July, NASA announced the Sample Return Robot Challenge along with
two other new challenge competitions; the Night Rover Challenge and
the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge. NASA hopes to select partnering
organizations for these two new challenges in the coming months.
For updates about the Sample Return Robot Challenge visit:
http://wp.wpi.edu/challenge/ The Centennial Challenges program is part of NASA's Office of the
Chief Technologist. For more information about the program and
descriptions of each of the challenge competitions, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/challenges
