The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Robotics Challenge Expo at the Fairplex, in Pomona, California, is meant for someday having robots capable of responding to natural and man-made disasters. The winner among the 24 teams will get $3.5 million in prize money.

The robots in the competition are required to push buttons, turn valves, cut through a wall and drive a light utility vehicle. Gill Pratt, who organized the competition for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said that science fiction has so far been the major source of most ideas.

The competition is being designed with the intention of someday deploying robots for task of saving lives by entering dangerous disaster zones. Pratt explained with an example that such robots could have been a great help during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

He said that it is always not possible for human beings to deal with a disaster involving extreme danger. The robots may be slow, clumsy and delicate, but eventual advancements in robotic technology will make them have the capability required to respond to disaster situations.

“What I love about this is it introduces everybody to the new dream. This is something you can do right now. Give me five years and we’ll have this in high schools”, said Jonathan Daniels, who teaches robotics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.