10Meters News Service

April 12, 2002 – U.S. military scientists, on the prowl for the latest in high-tech solutions, are calling on the high-tech industry to create an army of tiny robots to patrol and protect interior spaces against outside threats.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), located in Arlington, Va., in a recent solicitation, said it is seeking prototypes for robotic systems that can be deployed for "indoor reconnaissance."

Ideally, DARPA is hoping to receive designs as soon as May 10, but the outside deadline extends to April 1, 2003.

The prerequisites for this army of robots: be at least 100 strong and come equipped with user interfaces that allow group-wide maneuvering – as in, systems that mimic "collective, cooperative behaviors like those inspired by ants and honey bees."

The search for robotic solutions is being conducted through DARPA by its Software for Distributed Robotics (SDR) program. Established in 1999, the SDR program is charged with micro-robotic research and development.

The solicitation for the bee-like troops is part of DARPA's current push to determine the best use for robots in reconnaissance work, such as the covert detection of intruders or determining the presence of chemical agents.

According to DARPA, the "robotic technologies of most importance" for these indoor-reconnaissance systems include communications approaches, user interfaces, the means to program the networks for specific tasks and the ability to determine the effectiveness of the mission.

Founded in 1958, DARPA is the central research and development organization for the U.S. Department of Defense. Its mission is to develop outside-the-box "imaginative, innovative and often high-risk research ideas."

More information is available at www.darpa.mil/ito/Solicitations.html. Visit DARPA at www.darpa.mil/.