Researchers And Virginia Tech Students Prepare For DARPA Robotics Challenge

Virginia Tech mechanical and electrical engineering students work all night to test the ESCHER robot the TREC (Terrestrial Robotics Engineering and Controls) Lab May 27, 2015 in Blacksburg, Virginia. Unlike many of the other 24 international teams competing in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge, the students of Team Valor have built most of the semi-autonomous ESCHER (Electromechanical Series Compliant Humanoid for Emergency Response) robot from the ground up over the last three months. The winner of the simulated disaster-response course will take home a $2 million prize next week in Pomona, California. (Footage by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)