US Earmarks $3.5Mln for Research With S. Korea on Robotic Disaster Relief

Researchers from the United States and South Korea are joining forces to develop robotic systems for disaster relief, with $3.5 million in US grants that were announced in a press by the by the Department of Defense.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will also contribute to the project’s funding, the release noted on Monday.

"The purpose of this research collaboration is to bring together top researchers in the US and the Republic of Korea to develop robotics capabilities for humanitarian and disaster response and recovery applications," the release stated.

Research areas will include novel platforms for search and rescue, advanced human-robot interaction for command and control, and advanced robotic perception/recognition for enhanced situational awareness, the release explained.

The project will be carried out at six leading US universities, including Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the release.