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NIST Reality Arena
Originally an underground missile silo, and more recently
a stairwell burn-facility, the new “reality” arena (also known
as the black arena) has been converted into a hardened, difficult, robot
test facility that is safe for researchers and robots alike (see Figure
1).
 
Figure 1: Above and below ground images
This NIST facility contains several above ground features
(doors, windows, fire-escape, and skylight entrance), but the majority
of the 300 square-meter facility is located underground as a reinforced
concrete and steel structure. Inside this facility, the same simulated
victims are placed in stairwells, narrow passages, confined spaces,
and under collapsed debris. This arena is dirty, difficult, even wet
at times, adding a sense of realism for the most competent robots. Operators
find this arena the most challenging by far because it is too vast to
understand intuitively. Lacking a human level understanding of the environment
provides the clearest indication of where operator interfaces fail to
provide sufficient situational awareness. Meanwhile, radio communications
in this environment are also problematic, just as at actual structural
collapses. So this reality arena provides a comprehensive test for the
most capable systems and is available year-round to researchers.
The presentation (.pdf format) below presents an overview
of the NIST Reality Arena. Additional and detailed information regarding
the Reality Arena may be requested HERE.
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