[Robotgroup] Mars Rover related ICFP programming contest starts today

[Leslie Filip]

This is most likely only a terrestrial contest veiled an a Martian  
rover exercise. The main clue is this reference to real-time  
communication: "Recent breakthroughs in higher-order, statically- 
typed, metaspatial communication will enable data to be transferred  
between Mars and Earth almost instantaneously." If memory serves,  
there is approximately 20 minute lag time for light/radio waves to  
reach Mars, depending on where it is relative to earth. Nevertheless,  
it is a worthwhile exercise in programming.

Les


On 11 Jul 2008, at 7:15 PM, Bryan Bishop wrote:

> On Friday 11 July 2008, Paul D. Fernhout wrote:
>> I just noticed this. See:
>>   http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/10/235222
>> "The 11th Annual ICFP Programming Contest begins July 11 (12:00 Noon
>> PDT) and runs through July 14 (12:00 Noon PDT). As in the previous
>> ten editions, this is your chance to show that your favorite
>> programming language (or your team) is better than all others! In
>> addition to prize money, the winner's programming language is
>> declared the 'programming language of choice for discriminating
>> hackers.' Contestants may use any programming language (or
>> combination of languages) to show their skill. How will your favorite
>> language fare?"
>>
>> From:
>>   "ICFP 2008 Programming Contest Task Description"
>>   http://smlnj.org/icfp08-contest/task.html
>> """
>> Recent breakthroughs in higher-order, statically-typed, metaspatial
>> communication will enable data to be transferred between Mars and
>> Earth almost instantaneously. As such, NASA is seeking examples of
>> real-time control software to operate its latest model Martian rovers
>> from control centers on Earth. Since it is well known that the ICFP
>> contest attracts the crème de la crème of programmers from around the
>> world, NASA has decided to use the current contest as a means of
>> gathering software prototypes for their new control system. We are
>> pleased to announce that this year’s winning entry will in fact be
>> used to control the rover on NASA’s very next mission to Mars!
>> (Subject to budget constraints.)
>>
>> Your control software will communicate with the rover over a network
>> socket. Its object is to guide the rover safely from a given starting
>> location to its home base. The controller’s primary function is to
>> avoid the boulders and craters that litter the Martian surface. As an
>> added nuisance, the local inhabitants, who are decidedly hostile,
>> will immediately destroy any rover they can get their fourteen sticky
>> fingers on. Note that Martians, like dogs, vary in intelligence.
>>
>> Control software prototypes will be evaluated according to their
>> performance in a series of trials, the details of which are given
>> below. Each trial consists of five runs on a given region of Mars. As
>> a means of preparing for these trials, this document and its
>> accompanying software provide sufficient details and infrastructure
>> for the development of prototype candidates. Good luck, and may yours
>> be the winning entry, to be used on Mars itself. """
>>
>> I assume they are kidding about using the actual code.
>>
>> It's a problem vaguely like one I submitted an entry to about six
>> years ago (but I saw the contest late and had also promised a
>> neighbor I'd help him put a ceiling in his garage so I didn't get
>> much time to work on it :-) so I am tempted to see if I can dust that
>> entry off and patch it up for the "lightning round" which needs to be
>> done by tomorrow noon.
>>
>> --Paul Fernhout
>>
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>
>
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