Robot Cars
(http://www.cybercars.org
)
P L Y O J U M P
Click the bagpipe for essays & commentary
|
Robot (driverless) cars are a new class of Robots That Jump - with tough bodies
allowing real-world interaction plus plenty of power to run the fastest
computers possible, robot cars are probably the most advanced non-humanoid
robots around. |
|
Cybercars |
|
 |
An organization of 15 European research centers, have introduced the first
road-ready vehicles that require no driver. Unlike tracked or
line-following vehicles, these robo-cars can navigate ordinary city
streets, and have obstacle detection sensors which compliment their
(GPS?) dead-reckoning. They also show co-operative behavior. The website
for the project is at
http://www.cybercars.org. According to a recent article in Time
Europe magazine, the town of Antibes on the French Riviera and other
nearby areas are already considering buying fleets functioning as
tourist taxis. |
|
DARPA Urban Challenge
2007 |
|
|
Link to Urban Challenge website
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
Here is a video link related to the DARPA Grand Challenge 2007 on CNN
http://stratacomm.net/video/darpa.cfm |
|
Gallery of Robot Cars from DARPA
Grand Challenge 2005 |
 |
Robomonster was my own team in the DARPA Grand Challenge (founded
Jan 2005). We converted a custom rock-crawler for the 2005 race. We made
the first and second round, but failed to qualify for the GC trials at
the California Motor Speedway
http://www.robomonster.com |
 |
The winner of the 2005 Grand Challenge - Stanford University's "Stanley".
Unlike most other contestants it did not use standard "Artificial
Intelligence" (AI) but built statistical predictive models based on long
bouts of real-world driving "watching" a human driver. Stanley's
performance was good enough that the Stanford team plans to have a car
based on its design drive autonomously between San Francisco and Los
Angeles in 2007. |
 |
This is Caltech's "Bob" developed by Team Caltech. They
plan to field a new car in the 2005 race.
team.caltech.edu |
|
|
Digital Auto Drive, a Thousand-Oaks, CA company, ran a unique robot car
relying solely on vision. The secret was a vision system using custom
Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) allowing many-fold faster image
processing compared to the other teams. http://www.digitalautodrive.com |
 |
AI Motivators is a LA-based
company making a very dune-buggy robo-car via their companyk, Autointelligent
Systems Their custom vehicle was built from the ground up and uses
"something between a neural net and lead brick on the
accelerator" approach to machine intelligence.
 |
 |
CyberRider is a nonprofit team based in Orange County. Their
propane-fueled, custom desert racer uses a combination of lidar and
cameras to navigate and processes data using several VIA mini-itx boards. |
 |
CMU's Red Team "Sandstorm" and "Highlander" are the heavy-hitter among robot cars. A
military Humvee base is packed with over a dozen high-performance
computers.
http://www.redteamracing.org
|
 |
SciAutonics has several robot cars. This one, a converted dune buggy
called Avidor, did
surprising well in the 2004 Grand Challenge. Click the image to the left
for a great video of this dune buggy driving itself!.
http://www.sciautonics.com |
 |
Rob Meier Productions is
developing a very interesting design for their GC racer called Coyote.
Note the angled wheels.
|
 |
Arctic Tortoise
is a creation of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, being built by a
team of students and faculty.
http://www.arctictortoise.uaf.edu/Welcome.htm
|
 |
Terramax is a big military truck outfitted with robotic technology. A
collaboration of Ohio State with Oshkosh Truck
|
 |
Team Overbot is unusual - despite the
computer rep of Silicon Valley, it is the only entry from this area! A
group of volunteers is using a 6-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and have
thoughtfully provided very detailed specs of how they've set up a
self-driving vehicle..
|
 |
The Prodigies consist of Nicholas Hoza (15) and Christopher Medrzycki
(20). They have created their autonomous vehicle,
eXpeditor, from scratch using a Via EPIA mini-ITX
motherboard. It is smaller than a car, more like a kid's car - but it's
a robot! |
 |
Ghostrider is the world's only autonomous robotic motorcycle. It didn't so
well at the 2004 GC, but has successfully driven itself without a human
aboard. They will be back for the 2005 race. |
 |
Axion Racing, in Westlake Village, CA
(LA area) has converted a 1994 Jeep SUV model for robotic operation. It
remains "street legal". Switching from manual to computer
control is done in seconds. Five Dell computers, with dual P4 Xeon Intel
processors, manage autonomous
driving while in a cushioned
rack in the rear cargo hold. The computers are connected using a
standard LAN and operating system. |
|
|
Team CIMAR (U Florida)
is a collaboration between Autonomous
Solutions, Inc., (Utah) and CIMAR
(U Florida). Their vehicle is a converted 1994 Isuzu Trooper and uses JANUS
components, giving ultimate applications a military angle. The extended boom
festooned with SICK laser rangefinders looks fragile, but is apparently gives
the UAV a good look at the road. |
|
|
Wow! Howe & Howe
have built their own tank for the 2005 Grand Challenge. This vehicle is
called Ripsaw, and combines a converted automobile engine with rugged
laptops providing sensation and control. Click the picture to the left for
an incredible video of this tank under human control.
|
 "There is only one condition in which we can imagine
managers not needing subordinates, and masters not needing slaves. This
would be if every machine could work by itself, at the word of command or
by intelligent anticipation."
- Aristotle, from his justification of slavery in Politics |