【科技动态】DARPA通过“快速跟踪计划”推动机器人技术创新
特邀撰稿人：宝财
【DARPA网站2015年5月18日消息】DARPA通过快速跟踪计划邀请非传统机器人专家帮助促进国家安全，FAST TRACK PROGRAM INVITES NON-TRADITIONALROBOTICISTS TO HELP BOLSTER NATIONAL SECURITY
通过雇佣传统上没有为联邦政府工作过的尖端团队和个人，可以预见机器人快速跟踪计划将具有高效益的新研发能力。
Robotics Fast Track foresees cost-effective development of new capabilities byengaging cutting-edge groups and individuals who traditionally have not workedwith the federal government
过去十年里，机器人技术从小企业和个人呈爆炸式增长，部分由于生产成本更低和创客空间/黑客空间这样的社区工坊在全球兴起，这些社区工坊可用作快速、低成本的合作和革新孵化器。
The past 10 years have seen an explosion ofrobotics advances from small businesses and individuals, thanks in part tolower manufacturing costs and the global rise of community workshops such asmakerspaces and hackerspaces, which serve as incubators for rapid, low-costcollaboration and innovation.
可惜的是，小规模机器人领域总游离在传统联邦机构和商业技术提供商视线外，而这两家总是依靠多年度、成百万的合同进行技术研发。这种断层意味着美国政府并未从国内最前沿机器人开发人员那里受益。
Unfortunately, the small-scale roboticscommunity has tended to fly under the radar of traditional federal agencies andcommercial technology providers, which generally rely on multi-year,multi-million-dollar contracts for technology development. This disconnectmeans that theU.S.government is not benefiting from some of the most cutting-edge roboticsdevelopers in the nation.
通过对能响应甚至参与快速解决战士需求的新型机器人能力进行迅速而高效的研发，DARPA的新型机器人快速跟踪（RFT）项目寻求对现状进行弥补。RFT将通过对全新方案以及对现有资源创新性改造提供资金，从而集中研发突破性机器人硬件和软件。
DARPA’s new Robotics Fast Track (RFT) effort seeks to help remedy thissituation by enabling rapid, cost-effective development of new roboticscapabilities designed to respond to, and even anticipate, quickly evolvingwarfighter needs. RFT will focus on the development of groundbreaking robotichardware and software by funding clean-slate approaches as well as creativeadaptations of existing resources.
这样做的目的是通过雇佣从未与美国政府工作过的特别有头脑的组织和个人，实现短期内取得突破性能力，而且只花政府支持的典型机器人研发进程中的一少部分成本。
The goal is to achieve breakthroughcapabilities in less time and at a fraction of the cost typical ofgovernment-supported robotic development processes by engaging highly agilorganizations and individuals who traditionally have not worked with theU.S.government.
DARPA项目经理迈克表示，“我们为了只存在六个月的问题，却要花三到四年做结论”。“我们想让新一代机器人创新人员将DARPA视为一个伙伴，这个伙伴能帮助他们在个人感兴趣的领域开发突破性技术，帮助他们阐释思想，还知道如何改变游戏规则能力。我们渴望成为能快速在国家安全方面取得标志性提高这一新办法的先行者”。
“We spend too much time creating three- to four-year solutions for six-monthproblems,” said Mark Micire, DARPA program manager. “We want this newgeneration of robotics innovators to see DARPA as a partner that can help themdevelop breakthrough technologies in the areas that personally interest themand help translate their ideas and know-how into game-changing capabilities.We’re eager to pioneer this new approach, which could lead to rapid, markedimprovements in national security as a whole.”
RFT目标是以平均成本15万美员，持续6-12个月，在明年研发出原型机系统，并证明概念。为了鼓励参与，DARPA已经将合同过程进行优化，以既能达到非传统合同执行者需求，又能满足联邦采购规则的所有要求。迈克还表示，“我们的目标是花不到一个月时间成功完成从提交到合同签署这一过程”。
RFT aims to develop prototype systems and proofs of concept over the next year,with each effort lasting 6 to 12 months at an average cost of $150,000. Toencourage participation, DARPA has streamlined the contracting process to meetnontraditional performers’ needs while still meeting all requirements under theFederal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). “The goal is for successful proposals totake less than a month from submission to contract signing,” said Micire.
为了帮助这些非传统实体第一次为联邦政府工作，DARPA正与开源机器人基金会（OSRF）开展合作，该基金会是一个由全球机器人社区工坊创立的独立非盈利组织。OSRF主要集中在软件开发，但在拥护小型机器人社区工坊对机器人研发整体推进上扮演着主角。
To help these nontraditional entities work with the federal government for thefirst time, DARPA is collaborating with the Open Source Robotics Foundation(OSRF) (), an independent non-profitorganization founded by members of the global robotics community. OSRF focusesprimarily on software development but plays a central role in the small-scalerobotics community in advocating for the overall advancement of roboticsresearch and development.
开源机器人基金会（OSRF）创始人兼CEO布朗表示，“一些聪明人士对促进当前状况有好的想法，但却没有准备好投入时间和必要努力来引导政府传统合同机制。通过RFT，我们将支持这些人员，开发他们的想法，改变机器人研发版图，这在过去是不可能的”。
“Lots of smart people have good ideas for advancing the state of the art, butaren't ready to invest the time and effort necessary to navigate thegovernment's traditional contracting mechanisms,” said Brian Gerkey, CEO andfounder of OSRF. “Through RFT, we aim to support these people, explore theirideas and change the landscape of robotics at a pace that wasn't previouslypossible.”
OSRF已经与BIT系统公司组成团队，该公司是具有快速跟踪协定经验的联邦合同承包商，包括DARPA之前网空快速跟踪计划。BIT系统公司正以政府和执行人的中间人角色来支持RFT，通过帮助执行人学会如何与政府打交道，如何对他们倡议书快速评估的方式呈报工作。
OSRF has teamed with BIT Systems, a federal contractor with experience workingon fast-track initiatives, including DARPA’s previous Cyber Fast Track program.BIT Systems is supporting RFT by acting as an interface between the governmentand performers, helping performers learn how to work with the government andhow to present their work in ways that can to speed evaluation of theirproposals.
RFT意图开发的技术兴趣领域包括：
Areas of technical interest that RFT intends to explore include:
l 对现有商用技术的扩展和增强
Expansion and augmentation of commercialoff-the-shelf (COTS) technologies
l 对开放资源，开放标准和快速原型设计能力利用贷款进行投资
Leveraging open source, open standards and rapidprototyping capabilities
l 大提高机器人平台灵敏度、速度、持久度、作用距离的技术
Technologies to greatly improve the agility, speed,endurance and range of robotic platforms
l 与机器人感知、敏感、计划、通信相关的先进使能技术
Technologies to dramatically advance capabilitiesrelated to robotic sensing, perception, planning and communication
l 可用于一个或多个关键作战领域（空中、地面、海上、太空）和/或任务领域（包括情报、监视、侦察、态势感知、人道主义救助/灾难响应）的技术
Technologies that could apply to one or more keymilitary operational domains (air, ground, maritime and space) and/or missionareas (including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, situationalawareness, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response)
l用于补充非军事国家安全任务（包括执法、消防、紧急应急）的技术。
Technologies that could also apply to complementarynon-military national security missions (including law enforcement,firefighting and emergency response)
超过这些领域的技术发展被认为是支持该计划目标，这包括为国家安全机器人学引入新的公共-私人兴趣社，为可能的未来DARPA计划提供至少一份比RFT规模更大的订单以保持这一发展势头。
Technology development beyond these areas will be considered as long as it supports the program’s goals, which includeboth jumpstarting a new public-private community of interest for nationalsecurity robotics and building momentum toward a potential future DARPA programwith funding levels at least an order of magnitude larger than RFT.
不仅如此，一些别的政府单位，包括美国陆军，海军，国土安全部，航空航天总局，都表达了对评估成功RFT计划和执行者使用他们成果的兴趣。
Moreover, a number of other government agencies—including the U.S. Army, U.S.Navy, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration—have expressed interest in evaluating successful RFTprojects and performers for use in their operations.
对参加RFT有兴趣的个人和组织可访问 。另外，OSRF代表将参加6月5-6日在加州进行的DARPA机器人挑战赛。
Individuals and organizations interested inparticipating in RFT can apply at Additionally, OSRF representatives willattend the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.on June 5-6, 2015.
参赛代表可以在大赛展览区讨论RFT，在那里有70个交互式显示器，参观人员可以见到同技术开发人员和紧急响应人员，并通过他们的手控制机器人和其他部件。有关大赛更多信息请访问 。
The representatives will be available todiscuss RFT in the DRC Finals exposition area, which will feature 70interactive displays where visitors can meet technology developers andemergency responders, and try their hand at controlling robots and othergadgets. More information about the DRC Finals is available at
（来源：DARPA网站，感谢宝财的辛苦编译）
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