When the humanoid robot SAFFiR gets a shove, it reflexively moves to maintain its balance. SAFFiR can also walk over uneven terrain, turn its head to scan its surroundings and - with the help of a human operator - reach out to grasp objects. Built by a team at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, SAFFiR is a firefighting robot and a prototype for one that will compete in the final stage of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), a contest run by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The aim is to produce robots with improved mobility, autonomy and responsiveness to human commands. On 5 March, DARPA will announce the 25 finalists who will vie for the US$2-million first prize at the final event in June.
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