Sandia National Labs offers unbeatable experience with Western Robotics Rodeo

Sandia National Laboratories is set to host the 11th annual Western Robotics Rodeo, where civilian and military bombs squads work to diffuse and mitigate dangerous situations in a controlled setting.

The event will bring in 10 regional teams who will compete to see who can use their robots in the quickest, safest manner through simulated events. The vent will award trophies to the top three teams.

Participants in this year’s event include the Kirkland Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Alamos Police Department, the New Mexico State Police, the David-Monthan Air Force Base, Fort Carson Army Base, the Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport Police, the Riverside County’s Sheriff’s Department, and a U.S. Army Explosives Ordnance Disposal team.

In previous years, the event featured scenarios that included diffusing a mock explosive device from an airplane or train car, removing simulated fuel rods from a malfunctioning nuclear reactor, and removing sources of radiation from a mock town. Sandia’s 2015 competition featured a scenario where robot teams worked in tandem with a drone on various tasks.

“The teams are usually frustrated with us by the second scenario, and that’s a good sign that we’ve developed challenging scenarios,” Sandia’s Robotics Manager Jake Deuel said. “If it’s easy, it’s a waste of their time. The whole point of the Robot Rodeo is to help these guys and gals understand where the operational edge of their equipment and procedures are, so that they don’t go over that edge during a real life call.”

In addition to Sandia, researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School will also be involved in several training sessions and events.