The DARPA Robotics Challenge was a US government-funded competition run from 2012 to 2015 designed to advance disaster-response robotics following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Teams were tasked with completing a series of tasks replicating real-world emergency scenarios: driving a vehicle, opening doors, climbing stairs, using power tools, cutting through walls, and traversing rough terrain. The competition attracted 25 elite international teams from universities, research labs, and robotics companies. The Finals were held in Pomona, California in June 2015 with a two million dollar first prize. The winning robot DRC-HUBO from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology completed all eight tasks in 44 minutes and 28 seconds. The DRC produced Atlas, Boston Dynamics humanoid platform originally developed for the competition, which became one of the most influential humanoid robots in history.