The Faculty would like to update you on the latest development of the Robotics Initiative of HKU Engineering in particular in its participation in the Los Angeles DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals in June. The Challenge has come to the final stage with 23 teams joining from top engineering schools like MIT, Carnegie Mellon University and KAIST, and industrial organizations such as NASA, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, as well as Lockheed Martin. Members of Team HKU were excited to have the opportunity to compete on the world stage in front of thousands of spectators at this robotics event.
Eye-opening for HKU Engineering students
Team HKU comprised 9 core members, 11 students and 3 teachers, which was one of the largest teams sent by the Faculty to an overseas competition. These students took up a variety of roles from programming and testing Atlas to handling the robot on the competition track. They also served as ambassadors showcasing some of the other HKU robots at our booth in the Technology Exposition (Expo) where there were over 70 demonstrations and exhibits from around the world. It was truly an eye-opening experience for them – having hands-on exposure to operating a humanoid robot, networking with world-leading experts from other teams, and witnessing the most advanced robots in the field!
Team HKU |
Students test running HKU’s Atlas in the preparation garage area at DRC Finals |
Student ambassadors showcasing our self-developed robots to curious visitors at the Expo |
A resilient rebound – strongest team spirit demonstrated
The Finals spanned 2 days with each team being given a one-hour trial on each day to complete 8 specified tasks. Team HKU was amongst the 4 teams that chose to walk a 66-meter path to the door-opening task area instead of the robot driving a car. Over the two days, we saw most robots fall flat on the ground at some point, but HKU Atlas’s fall on Day 1 during its debut trial on a sandy and soft surface made him appear in some headlines in Hong Kong. Undefeated by this, Atlas accomplished the walk in an overwhelming success on Day 2 and with the fastest completion time, thanks to the unfailing commitment of Team HKU working sleeplessly overnight to reconfigure and test Atlas! This was an invaluable and uplifting learning experience for our students.
Team HKU re-programming and test-walking Atlas overnight on sandy surface after its Day 1 experience
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HKU Atlas being the fastest robot to conquer the 66-meter walk on Day 2
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Your support meant great benefits to our students
We have made great strides since the start of the Advanced Robotics Initiative less than 2 years ago. The field of robotics is advancing and growing rapidly around the world with some groups having deep experience such as the champion of the DRC Finals, KAIST, whose robot HUBO has been under development for the last 10 years. We need to step forward and not to miss the window of the current technological wave for Hong Kong. More importantly, our students' growth and learning experience in frontier technologies have benefitted from the generous support given by HKU Engineering's supporters. The Faculty is pleased to share with you that their exposure in robotics has turned into research internship opportunities at Carnegie Mellon University and AIST, Japan, to name but a few.
We, at HKU Engineering, are determined to continue our efforts to motivate our students, researchers and teachers. We see the value of development in technology and innovation for the betterment of our community. We will be most encouraged by your continuous and generous support!
We would like to take this opportunity again to offer our sincerest gratitude to all our supporters and for sharing our vision and mission of cultivating engineers and researchers of the new generation.
| Student ambassadors showcasing our self-developed robots to curious visitors at the Expo |