DARPA robots have a long and storied history of being terrifying, whirring beasts borne from chaos and sent to kill us all, but another, less alarmist interpretation is that the US robotics program is a publicly funded resource for government applications into robots and related technologies. In keeping with these latter sentiments, DARPA have unveiled an Open Source project to take inspiration, advice and genius ideas from the public.
The project aims to create a dialog between the public and the scary science men, and create greater engagement with the communities over which these metal menaces may well soon rule. It’s also looking very specifically for nautical and space-based robotics knowhow, so if you have a busted prototype lying around that you think could handle a dip in the pond or a jaunt to the moon, let them know via their website pronto.
