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tonyPick writes:

IEEE Spectrum is running a series of articles on the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), which runs this weekend (the 6th & 7th of June) and in which the finalists will be scored on a set of tasks relevant to disaster response scenarios.

There's an overview of the course and the challenges the robots will face:

The DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals is all about the course: the sequence of eight tasks that the robots are going to try to complete in 60 minutes or less. We’ll take a look at each one of the tasks, and go through all the rules that the robots are going to have to follow as they make it through to victory.

Also a background article summarises the schedule and previous Spectrum coverage.

The associated DARPA site has additional background information and updates:

The DRC is a competition of robot systems and software teams vying to develop robots capable of assisting humans in responding to natural and man-made disasters. It was designed to be extremely difficult. Participating teams, representing some of the most advanced robotics research and development organizations in the world, are collaborating and innovating on a very short timeline to develop the hardware, software, sensors, and human-machine control interfaces that will enable their robots to complete a series of challenge tasks selected by DARPA for their relevance to disaster response.

Ed Note: See our earlier coverage of Uber Poaches Robotics Scientists from Carnegie Mellon.