LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today marks the start of the ANA AVATAR XPRIZE test competition in Long Beach, Calif., where 17 teams from 10 countries will compete for the grand prize of $8 million. Sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest five-star airline, the ANA Avatar XPRIZE challenges teams to develop physical and human robotic avatar systems capable of performing tasks and replicating senses, actions and presence of a human in a distant place. in real time, leading to a more connected world.
The free, public event, held November 4-5, 2022 at the Long Beach Convention Center and streamed online, is the culmination of a four-year qualification process that began in March 2018.
Until November 5, teams will push the boundaries of immersive telepresence technology – robotics combined with artificial intelligence, sensors, virtual reality (VR), haptics, and more. – by testing their avatar creations on a series of complex tasks through a personalized test. Classes. Over 1,000 people are pre-registered to attend, including students, educators and leaders in the fields of robotics, to get a first-hand view of the future of telepresence.
Teams arrived in Long Beach yesterday, to begin their setup and prepare for testing in their team garages, preparing for live testing, which begins Nov. 4.
The final purse totals $8 million, with the grand prize winner receiving $5 million and second and third place teams receiving $2 million and $1 million, respectively. To win, teams must demonstrate the avatars’ ability to perform tasks in a variety of real-world scenarios and convey a sense of presence to both operator and recipient in those interactions.
“This competition is not just about advancing the future of robotics; it is, fundamentally, about the future of human connectivity,” said David Locke, Senior Program Manager, ANA Avatar XPRIZE. “I’m excited to see the capabilities the teams will bring to the end of this four-year journey with us to make telepresence a reality.”
Major technology organizations (Blue Origin, FIRST Robotics, JPL, ANA/avatar, SenseGlove, vROTOR), universities (USC, UCLA, IHMC) and others will also have interactive and experiential exhibits, as part of XPRIZE Tech Fair, which provide additional hands-on opportunities for participants.
For those watching online, the livestream will feature the teams racing every 30 minutes from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT on Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, with the detailed testing schedule available at the XPRIZE website. Winners will be announced on the Main Stage at the Long Beach Convention Center at approximately 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, November 5.
See below to get your ticket or to watch history unfold here in LA County:
ABOUT XPRIZE
XPRIZE is a positive global movement for the future, delivering truly radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. XPRIZE inspires and empowers a global community of problem solvers to positively impact our world by outsourcing solutions through large-scale competitions, tackling the world’s greatest challenges in exploration, environment and human equity. Active competitions include $100 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal with Elon Musk, $15 million XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion, $10 million XPRIZE Rainforest, $10 million ANA Avatar XPRIZE, $5 million XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling and $1 million dollars Digital Learning Challenge. Donate, register or join a team at xprize.org.
ABOUT ANA
Founded in 1952 with just two helicopters, All Nippon Airways (ANA) has become Japan’s largest airline. ANA HOLDINGS Inc. (ANA HD) was established in 2013 as the largest airline group holding company in Japan, comprising 71 companies, including ANA and Peach Aviation, the main LCC in Japan. For more information, please visit: https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/.