MIRA'S Traveling Robot Circus

Team Mira consists of a trio of robotic scouts that together seem more like a traveling robot circus act than a team of military droids. Its entry consists of a UGV called MACE 1, which carries a small UAV on its back, and tows a trailer holding a small blimp. MACE 1 (which stands for MIRA Autonomous Control Engineering) is clearly the ringleader, a hybrid-electric four-wheeled robot that has autonomous navigation and threat-detection software. The flying saucer–like UAV that comes off of MACE 1's back has to be controlled by a human operator, while the blimp's job is simply to relay images from high above the battlefield. The star of this team—which, like Stellar, includes both private and academic organizations—is MACE 1, with its ability to turn off its internal combustion engine for stealth missions and haul payloads as heavy as 660 pounds. And while Team Mira's blimp and remote-operated flying saucer could help locate threats, most of the sensor capabilities are mounted on the UGV. Though the three-part combo didn't win the trophy, the competition could serve as a launching pad for this versatile drone