Government

Navy‘s New ’Hunger Games’-Like Lab Tests Robots in ‘Extreme Survival Conditions’

Naval Research Laboratory Opens Hunger Games Like Arena to Test Autonomous Systems

Capt. Paul Stewart, NRL's commanding officer, holds an Ascending Technologies Pelican quadrotor mini air vehicle. "Lucas" stands by the captain's side. These two robots are examples of technology that will be tested in the Navy's new lab under extreme conditions. (Photo: Naval Research Laboratory)

The highly anticipated film “The Hunger Games,” which opens this weekend, depicts a startling, futuristic view of North America divided into districts with an oppressive centralized government. To remind its citizens of the “Dark Days,” the government forces a group of teenagers to fight to the death on nationally controlled television in a huge arena. If you can imagine this extreme version of reality TV for a moment, you can see how it would take a highly sophisticated tracking system to capture all the violence of the 24 “tributes” over a distance of several acres.

(Related: Liberal or conservative? Both sides trying to claim “Hunger Games” as their own — why?)

Now, back to reality. The Navy is working on technology that would, in essence, do just that.

Naval Research Laboratory Opens Hunger Games Like Arena to Test Autonomous Systems

Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (Photo: Naval Research Laboratory)

Live Science reports that the Navy’s Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research will feature high-speed cameras that can track detailed movements of 5o robots, drones and even military personnel:

“Our tracking system currently has the largest capture volume in existence,” said Alan Schultz, director of autonomous systems research at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

The biggest arena — about half the size of an American football field — allows the NRL’s own game makers to change the simulated environment as they see fit. They can pipe in the sound of marching troops or a background environment, adjust the lighting to nighttime conditions, or even flood a 40-square-foot (12-square-meter) area to a 4-inch (10-centimeter) depth to make a shallow pool of water.

Four other arenas recreate diverse environments such as oceans, coasts, deserts, tropical rain forests, waterfalls and rock walls.

Naval Research Laboratory Opens Hunger Games Like Arena to Test Autonomous Systems

The Desert High Bay inside the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research will simulate desert conditions. (Photo: Naval Research Laboratory)

The challenges in these environments for robots, such as heavy rain, sand and heavy waves, will test how the equipment handles various “extreme survival conditions.”

Naval Research Laboratory Opens Hunger Games Like Arena to Test Autonomous Systems

Robots will be challenged with high temps and humidity in the Tropical High Bay. (Photo: Naval Research Laboratory)

The lab will be used to track cooperation between humans and robots. According to Live Science, the lab will have smaller rooms with eye trackers and multi-touch displays to collect data on how the humans control robots in the games.

The Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research had its official ribbon cutting last week. Now the games can begin.

[H/T Popular Science]

Comments (13)

  • burnteye86
    Posted on March 21, 2012 at 4:36am

    Tim, ever thought about putting all your thoughts in one or two posts?

    Report Post » burnteye86  
    • burnteye86
      Posted on March 21, 2012 at 4:40am

      Now, I’m only kidding around with ya. don’t get bent out of shape. lol

      Report Post » burnteye86  
  • burnbabylon
    Posted on March 21, 2012 at 2:11am

    @ itsjusttim Read Ecc. 7:29

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 11:48pm

    This REALITY Sucks… already… and Left is just begining to implement!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • USAMEDIC3008
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:48pm

    Sky-net
    how long untill they become selfaware?

    Report Post » USAMEDIC3008  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:55pm

      Then you tell them that they can‘t be perfect because people aren’t perfect, and they will short circuit, because people are their creator.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:56pm

      Kind of the same way people can not be perfect because God isn’t perfect.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 11:02pm

      Because if God was perfect, he would have created men as perfect, and God needs a place to dump Heaven’s garbage.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:22am

      Yo Itsjusttim:

      Please tell us when God makes His next mistake, since you are wiser then Him.

      Report Post »  
  • Itsjusttim
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:47pm

    Here’s a revelation for people. People in part migrated away from TV‘s to computers because the internet didn’t have so many commercials, and really the government doesn’t have to regulate the internet, because eventually people are going to really get angry about the commercials consuming the internet. Then they will begin to even dump the internet.

    Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:50pm

      Because all this garbage we use every day, is really nothing more than a prolonged fad that will fade.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
  • korbin
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:32pm

    Sink or swim do nothing but read the blaze or do something. oathkeepers.org

    Report Post »  
    • 4xeverything
      Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:35am

      I just hope they’re (when I say they I mean the actual soldiers) on our side. The people’s side.

      Report Post » 4xeverything  

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