The Polish Robot Magma2, built by a team from the Białystok University of Technology, won the University Rover Challenge (URC), a US prestigious international competition. Two other Polish robots ranked fourth and sixth.
Magma 2’s creators beat Canadians from the York University and Americans from the Oregon State University who had received the support of NASA.
- We proved that Polish constructors are perfectly able to compete with international partners in the field of mobile robotics and we clearly marked our aspirations to join the group of countries which have been exploring the universe. This is especially important in the context of Poland's efforts to join the European Space Agency (ESA)(…) - said Mateusz Józefowicz from the Mars Society Polska.
 Magma 2 robot (PAP-Scienec in Poland) |
The URC were held at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. For three days the teams had to perform difficult tasks e.g. reconnaissance, medical package delivery to a wounded astronaut, remote equipment servicing and the search for traces of life. Extreme conditions were an additional difficulty - the rovers had to operate in very high temperature and in dust which was supposed to create conditions similar to the conditions on Mars.
The winners of the challenge, apart from financial awards, will have the chance to present their machine at Mars Society Convention where they will have the chance to meet NASA representatives and people from companies which produce equipment for space research.
Magma 2 has a relatively simple construction and is made of light materials. The robot with basic equipment weights 30kg. Constructors inform on their website that they had to design a separate set of equipment for every task which the robot had to carry out during the contest.
- This was the first time in the contest history that a flying robot was used. Łazik Magma2 introduced a completely new quality when it comes observation tasks - not only on the URC contest but generally in the mobile robotics. We were used to such technologies in science-fiction productions. Now they stars to be used in reality - the constructors explain on their website.
Last year the prototype of Magma 2, Magma created by a team from the Białystok University of Technology and the Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń ranked third in the contest.
The two other robots from Poland were constructed by teams of students from the Wroclaw University of Technology (robot Scorpio ranked 4th) and by students and graduates of the University in Toruń (Copernicus robot was classified as 6th). (PAP - Science in poland)
The prototype of Magma 2 will be presented at the Eastern Poland stand during the international aviation and space industry fairs - Paris Air Show Le Bourget which will take place from 20th to 26th June 2011. The Fairs will be attended by 17 entepreneurs from the macroregion of Eastern Poland.
Participants’ visit to the fairs will be organised by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency within the framework of the Programme of Economic Promotion of Eastern Poland financed from the Operational Programme - Development of Eastern Poland, Measure I.4 Promotion and Cooperation. (PAIiIZ)
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