Important Innovations Collection

3D Mapping Source: Diver in flooded cave stock image New Technology from Czechoslovakia  Czech speleologists have developed a new technology using 3D printing to explore flooded caves without dangerous and numerous scuba diving explorations.  The technology has been developed by Geo-CZ, a company that uses the underlying tech to map archaeological and historic sites. Computerized Modelling, 3D Imaging To do it, the cave needs to be filmed robotically or by one dive.  The film is used to convert the cave into a computer model.  Cave specialists say the 3D imaging gives them much more information about the cave as a whole and the connections among corridors within the cave.  It's an important discovery and would have been of great use in Thailand when a dozen school children were trapped in a flooded cave about a year ago.  Fortunately they were rescued but it took days.

DARPA's Subterranean Robotic Challenge Source:  DARPA The Robot Olympics Are About to Begin The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA - believes the next big challenge for robots is to autonomously function below the surface of the earth.  The locations they are targeting include caves, tunnel systems, mines and urban undergrounds.  The challenge starts this weekend, when nine teams of robots will compete inside the Edgar Experimental Mine in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Top Global Roboticists DARPA Challenges attract some of the greatest roboticists in the world and their robotic innovations.  The challenges the teams face are real-world needs.  Their primary mission is to search for, detect and precisely locate human survivors, gas leaks and much more. Caves, Tunnels, Urban Underground The competition starts with an integration exercise in the Colorado mine.  The robot teams will undergo a series of challenging situa...