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(CNN) - An agency of the United States government dedicated to the development of top-secret military technologies has a pressing need: an underground den. And they need it tomorrow.
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, tweeted the petition on Wednesday.
"Attention, city dwellers!" Says the tweet. "We are interested in identifying urban underground tunnels and facilities owned by universities or commercially managed capable of hosting research and experimentation."
"It's a short warning time," they admitted. "We request answers before August 30 at 5:00 pm ET."
Attention, city dwellers! We're interested in identifying university-owned or commercially managed underground urban tunnels & facilities able to host research & experimentation. https://t.co/tHZ1Tqy5nV
It's short notice… We're asking for responses by Aug. 30 at 5:00 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/TSWO07bJam
- DARPA (@DARPA) August 28, 2019
Attached to the application is a series of photos: a low-light parking lot, an underground bunker with Polish signage and an empty subway station, and a link to the formal proposal on a government website.
People became understandably suspicious.
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After all, these are the people who incorporated stealth weapons, the M16 assault rifle and military drones into the United States, as well as more daily advances such as the Internet, the computer mouse and Siri. And here they have a desperate need for a massive underground space to carry out some experiments: we are talking about some “that span several blocks of the city” that are free of ordinary people like you and me.
When a Twitter user joked: "We are definitely not looking for new places to keep all the Demogorgons," the world monster Upside Down in the Stranger Things television series, the agency quickly clarified: "Please. The Demogorgons are a thing of the Department of Energy. ”
The Department of Energy did not respond to a request from CNN for comment.
DARPA, however, told CNN that the tweet was no cause for concern.
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"DARPA issued the information request last week in search of tunnels and underground urban facilities run by universities or commercially, and yesterday's social media posts were a reminder of the next deadline to respond," Jared B told CNN Adams, Head of Communications of DARPA.
The tweet was intended to help find locations for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, a competition that seeks innovative approaches and innovative technologies that could help the US military. UU. and to the lifeguards to navigate tunnels, the "urban subsoil" and the cave networks.
It promises more than five million dollars in prizes. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory called it "Robot Olympics."
Think of autonomous robots that run through the underground corridors in search of bad ones.
"Complex urban underground infrastructure can present significant challenges for situational awareness in time-sensitive scenarios, such as active combat operations or disaster response," Adams explained.
Then, the next time you find yourself exploring an abandoned tunnel in the depths of a US city. and something slips away, don't worry, it's an autonomous killer robot.
Just move Quickly.
Secret AgencyDarpaMilitarMilitary Technology