Autoblog

Sand Flea robot goes where your R/C car can't

Alex Nunez — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST

Your nitro-fueled R/C racer may look all badass and be really fast, but it's got its limitations. Namely, walls. The Sand Flea robot shown above, developed by Boston Dynamics, won't win any races or beauty contests, but it laughs at walls. More precisely, it just leaps over them.

The little bot, which scoots around like a regular all-terrain R/C car, is equipped with a CO2-powered piston that gives it the ability to leap 30 feet in the air. When presented with a challenge, the Sand Flea stops, tilts, and launches up and over the obstacle in front of it. The video showing it in action, posted after the jump, is simultaneously astonishing and hilarious (especially when you mentally add this sound effect to each leap). On a full charge, the Flea can make 25 jumps. A gyroscope keeps it stabilized while airborne, and its wheels act as the cushion upon landing.

Funding for the project comes from DARPA, the Joint IED Defeat Organization, and the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, and it's meant to bolster the military's ever-expanding arsenal of reconnaissance tools. As such, PopSci reports that the Sand Flea is headed to the Army Test and Evaluation Command for safety certification, after which several examples will head to Afghanistan for some real field testing.

Continue reading Sand Flea robot goes where your R/C car can't

Sand Flea robot goes where your R/C car can't originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Local Motors builds XC2V Flypmode prototype for DARPA

Noah Joseph — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Military, Off-Road

Local Motors DARPA XC2V - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Typically when the Pentagon puts out a tender for a new contract, it goes to to established defense contractors. Not so with the new XC2V FlypMode combat vehicle. This time, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) crowd-sourced the project, meaning that it opened up the contract to the general public to design.

The result is the vehicle you see here. Designed by the same Local Motors behind the Rally Fighter, the XC2V - shorthand for Experimental Crowd-derived Combat-support Vehicle - is, for the time being at least, a "proof of principle project," so we're not likely to see it go into production any time soon.

Whatever becomes of this impressively capable-looking vehicle, that Local Motors managed to put the whole thing together in just 14 weeks could be the most impressive part of all. Especially considering it would probably take us longer to build a kit car, and those have all the components and instructions ready to go. Follow the jump to watch the time-lapse video of the build from start to finish.

Continue reading Local Motors builds XC2V Flypmode prototype for DARPA

Local Motors builds XC2V Flypmode prototype for DARPA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Local Motors announces Flypmode concept wins DARPA XC2V competition

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Military, Specialty, Design/Style

Flypmode wins DARPA XC2V Challenge - Click above for high-res image gallery

Local Motors is all about reaching out to the crowd and sourcing the best ideas as a team. It did just that in a new design contest, in which readers were tasked with developing a vehicle for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) XC₂V Challenge.

That stands for Experimental Crowd-Derived Combat-support Vehicle, and three standout entries were chosen as finalists; Victor Garcia's Flypmode, Marc Senger's Kratos and Romain Chareyre's Sentinel.

To borrow a phrase from ~~philospher~~ hip-hop artist Busta Rhymes, it appears that Flypmode is the greatest. Kratos designer Marc Senger took home 2nd place and $1,500 while Chareyre's Sentinal earned 3rd place and $1,000. For finishing first, Garcia will receive $7,500 and his design will become an actual DARPA prototype. Check out the Flypmode in the gallery below, and click past the jump to read the full press release.

Gallery: Local Motors DARPA XC2V Winner Flypmode Concept

[Source: Local Motors, DARPA]

Continue reading Local Motors announces Flypmode concept wins DARPA XC2V competition

Local Motors announces Flypmode concept wins DARPA XC2V competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Washington starting its own "Transformer" program

Dan Roth — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Technology, Military, Specialty

The obvious glib commentary here would invoke Optimus Prime, or something. Instead, we're going to digress momentarily and say that the best kind of transformer involves an LP record and an SL1200. Either way, DARPA has its own transforming going on. The Pentagon's latest initiative has been dubbed Transformer, and it aims to make the prognostications of 1955 come true - flying cars and all. (Bonus points for DARPA if they can get them to fold up neatly into briefcases.)

Pushing military technology is the purpose; the primary goal is a vehicle capable of both driving on the road and flying. Such abilities would allow the vehicle to cross difficult terrain more efficiently, especially considering the vertical take off and landing capability the design brief calls for. Other bullet points include low cost and maximal military utility.

Flying cars have been developed before, all with some level of compromise. Even now, there's the Moller SkyCar, and the Terrafugia Transition; both are nearing feasible production, albeit with large, six-figure price tags. If you've developed a car to fly over traffic jams like we all wish for, you've got less than a week to register with DARPA for the January 14th kickoff.

[Source: Inside Line | Image: Hanna-Barbera]

Report: Washington starting its own "Transformer" program originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM and Carnegie Mellon get together on driverless vehicles

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, GM

If you're really looking forward to the day when your car says, "You just relax, Dave, and let me do the driving," it just got a little bit closer. GM and Carnegie Mellon University have announced a 5-year, $5 million Collaborative Research Laboratory (CRL) to do work on autonomous vehicles.

Carnegie Mellon's Tartan Racing entrant in last year's DARPA Urban Challenge, Boss (pictured), was the first across the line. The winning partnership and the $2 million winners check made it a natural fit for the two to combine on further research now that the major technical issues have been mostly addressed. The two parties also have another CRL, separate from the autonomous research, that has been going on for eight years.

The autonomous research will be focused on developing the underlying technologies for autonomous vehicles. According to Professor Rajkumar, "Autonomous vehicles will change the face of transportation by reducing deaths and injuries from automobile accidents and increasing the convenience and comfort of vehicles." Until they become self aware and decide to take over the Skynet system, at least...

[Source: GM]

GM and Carnegie Mellon get together on driverless vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA driverless vehicles to race at Grand Prix of Long Beach

Michael Harley — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Technology

Click above for high-res gallery of the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

It was the GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team that took first prize at the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge last year. Now the team will be sending its entrant, nicknamed "Boss," to the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the weekend of April 19 - 20. There, in front of cheering race fans, the autonomous vehicle will strut its stuff on the track and at speed against competitors "Junior" from Stanford, and "Ben" from the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University.

It's a demonstration, not a race, so don't expect these vehicles to put up a fight against the ultra-fast Champ Cars (no worries - they won't be sharing the track at the same time). In all honesty, with running speeds estimated at about 15 mph, these four-wheelers will err on the slow side of caution if given the chance. Nobody can predict, however, how well the driverless vehicles will complete the 1.97-mile Grand Prix course, but we're willing to bet that the DARPA entrants hit fewer walls than the "stars" participating in Saturday's Celebrity Race.

Gallery: 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

[Source: engadget]

DARPA driverless vehicles to race at Grand Prix of Long Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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robuCab wants to replace taxis in the future

Chris Shunk — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Green

The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. The driver-free robuCab was developed in France by Robosoft, and the technology is limited for now. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.

The slow-moving robuCab prototypes can carry four passengers, but we're not seeing a lot of luggage space in the pictures above. We also don't see robuCab taking jobs from New York's finest any time soon, as the technology still isn't close to being ready for prime time. Then again, we've already seen enough success with recent driverless car challenges to know anything is possible.

[Source: Engadget]

robuCab wants to replace taxis in the future originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW gets behind Stanley Jr., donates $5.75 million to Stanford

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:36:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Technology, Volkswagen

Stanford won the first ever DARPA Challenge -- a test of skill and endurance for autonomous vehicles -- in 2005 with a VW Passat wagon called Stanley. This year it came in second with a VW Passat Wagon called Stanley, Jr. Though the university didn't win the Challenge this year, it did win with VW, which has pledged $5.75 million over five years to fund VAIL: the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory at Stanford.

VAIL will house Stanford's CarLab, a research and teaching program that aims to "radically rethink the automobile in order to deliver unprecedented levels of safety and driver and passenger enjoyment." VW's own engineers will work with CarLab, as well as other academic groups housed at VAIL that explore computer science and electrical engineering, a mechanical engineering group working on cleaner engines and advanced dynamic control, and a communications group that is studying the "psychology of making cars safer and more enjoyable."

[Source: VW]

VW gets behind Stanley Jr., donates $5.75 million to Stanford originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA Debrief - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

John McElroy — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:27:00 EST

Filed under: Autoline on Autoblog

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he'll bring his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

click above image for more live shots from DARPA by John McElroy

The DARPA Urban Challenge wrapped up this past weekend and it has to be one of the most exciting automotive events I've ever attended. There was an electricity in the air. You could feel the energy. It was almost like being at a Formula One race, but with an aura of real importance to it.

I think everyone there realized we were witnessing history in the making, like going to see one of the first flights of the Wright brothers. To me, this race proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that autonomous vehicles (driverless) will be a reality in about another decade.

There have been all kinds of media reports on how Carnegie-Mellon University won the race, followed by Stanford in second and Virginia Tech in third. So rather than re-report what you probably already know, here's some background of what it was like to be there.

Follow the jump for more from John McElroy, and check out his live pics from the DARPA Urban Challenge in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

Continue reading DARPA Debrief - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

DARPA Debrief - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:39:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology

After the DARPA dust settled, only 40 minutes separated the first, second and third place contenders for this year's $2 million bounty. The Carnegie Mellon team, behind the virtual wheel of a tech'd-out Tahoe dubbed the "Boss," won the DARPA Urban Challenge, the first event held in a mock city environment.

The Mellon crew beat out Stanford, Virginia Tech and MIT, and according to Wired's report, none of the top competitors were cited for traffic violations - something that most manned vehicles can't claim. Average speeds ranged from 13 to 14 mph over the course of the 55-mile trek. There was no mention of top speed and we're still uncertain about what specific obstacles were set out to befuddled the ghosts inside the machine.

There's no word yet on whether the DARPA event will continue, as many maintain that since the technical end of things have been sorted, it's time for private firms to take the lead. We'll have more on DARPA when Mr. McElroy reports on the event later in the week.

[Sources: GM (Press Release after the jump), Wired]

Continue reading GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA

GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge winds up

Dan Roth — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:49:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, First Drives

click above image for more pics from the 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

Route 66 passes right through Victorville, California, which is also home to the Route 66 Museum. Much breathless prose has been expended on the joys of piloting your buggy down the Great Diagonal Way. Antithetical to getting your kicks on Route 66 is the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge, hosted by Victorville. The contest, with a $2 million dollar, prize saw 11 teams send off driverless cars with a couple pats on the bumper and the admonishment to write home if they got work. Past DARPA Challenge winner Stanford got its car across the finish line first, with teams from Carnegie Mellon and Virginia Tech also managing to squeak across in the allotted six hours. Cornell and MIT-based teams were over the time limit, and a couple of teams had their vehicles lose their minds or crack into each other. In all, the contest was far more successful than the initial running in 2004, when nobody finished. The winner will be announced later today and be crowned based on speed as well as safety through the 60-mile course. Autoblog editor emeritus John McElroy was in attendance and will have his report for us on the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge later in the week.

[Source: Reuters, photos by STRINGER/Getty]

Gallery: 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge winds up originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT entering driverless Land Rover LR3 in DARPA Urban Challenge

John Neff — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:34:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Technology, Land Rover

The 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge is mere weeks away, and the top tier teams are readying to do battle on a yet-to-be-disclosed course in Victorville, CA. The event will take place November 3rd at the former George Air Force Base, and we'll have our own celebrity blogger, John McElroy, on hand to take pics and report back. Though many teams are entered, a select few from major universities are considered serious contenders for the $2 million grand prize. They include last year's winner Stanford who is entering a Volkswagen Passat Wagon named 'Junior', perennial runner-up powerhouse Carnegie Mellon featuring a driverless Chevy Tahoe, and the MIT team that's going upscale with an autonomous Land Rover LR3.

Land Rover decided to show off the entrant today releasing this pic of the vehicle in all its geeky glory. Though the DARPA Grand Challenge event is meant to showcase technologies that could ultimately lead to autonomous vehicles on public roads, one look at the number of sensors on the MIT entrant would likely make a Land Rover designer pass out and a potential customer run for the hills. Equipped with GPS, the MIT LR3 uses LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) range finders to whisker its way through uncharted environments. Until all this equipment can be scaled down for mass consumption, these vehicles will remain as merely impractical proof that safe and reliable autonomous driving is at least possible.
Before the event takes place two weekends from now, those teams that have made it this far will participate in a National Qualification Event this weekend to further weed out the autonomous wannabes from the legitimate contenders. We fully expect Standford's 'Junior', Carnegie Mellon's Tahoe and the MIT LR3 to make it through to the final event where Mr. McElroy will be ready cover the final outcome.

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading MIT entering driverless Land Rover LR3 in DARPA Urban Challenge

MIT entering driverless Land Rover LR3 in DARPA Urban Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robo-exotica: NC State snags Lotus Elise for '07 DARPA Challenge

Alex Nunez — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Technology, Lotus

Now this is what we call an upgrade: NC State University's Insight Racing team has scored a new set of wheels for the upcoming 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge. The team's Chevrolet Suburban, dubbed "Desert Rat" for the last DARPA challenge, which sent vehicles across the Mojave in the final event, will sit this one out. Instead, Insight will field "Lone Wolf," the new Lotus Elise which was presented to them by the automaker last week. In addition to the car, Insight will be receiving support from Lotus Engineering, who will help transform the sports car into the autonomous machine it needs to be to make it through the preliminary rounds and into the final Urban Challenge event. That task is made even more difficult when you consider that an Elise offers a fraction of the on-board space that was available in the Suburban. Expect to see plenty of innovation as they cram all the required technology into the Lotus' compact package.

The cruelest irony of all is that the Insight Racing team has to rig the Elise -- a driver's car if there ever was one -- to be completely driverless. We have a feeling that, given the chance, this is one instance where the engineering students would gladly forego the high-technology and get behind the wheel themselves. The 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge finale is scheduled for November 2007.

[Sources: NC State Technician Online & PhysOrg.com]

Robo-exotica: NC State snags Lotus Elise for '07 DARPA Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 DARPA Grand Challenge - cash prizes are out, trophies are in

Stuart Waterman — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Etc.

Every week, in garages around the world, amateur racers spend their hard-earned day-job dollars repairing and improving all sorts of racecars, with one goal in mind - winning a tacky plastic trophy on the weekend. Now the U.S. government has honored that hallowed tradition, announcing that the robot drivers in the upcoming 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge will forgo the $2 million cash prize previously promised to the winner, in exchange for - a trophy! (Probably a mil-spec trophy that they'll pay too much for, but still.)

Actually, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency isn't trying to save money (taxpayers should be so lucky). Congress recently changed the rules for the Department of Defense, and it no longer has the authority to award cash prizes.

Robot fans needn't be too concerned about a lack of entries for next year's event - the eleven "Track A" teams selected this month for the 2007 Urban Challenge will each receive from DARPA up to $1 million in technology development funding, in addition to the support of their corporate sponsors. The A-teams include last year's winner Stanford University and perennial contenders Carnegie-Mellon University, as well as big-time defense contractors Raytheon and Honeywell.

"Track B" teams, which receive no funding from DARPA, can still earn their way into the final competition for the DARPA mugs by successfully completing qualifying events. The Urban Challenge final event requires competitors to safely complete a 60-mile simulated urban area course (in traffic) in under six hours.

[via engadget]

2007 DARPA Grand Challenge - cash prizes are out, trophies are in originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Oct 2006 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA vehicles to battle on the streets

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 08:53:00 EST

Filed under: Technology

The DARPA Grand Challenge participants will leave their dusty surrounds on the Sonoran desert and into an urban environment in November 2007. The newly coined Urban Grand Challenge will be held in a mock metropolis, requiring the entrants to negotiate all the ever-changing factors their human counterparts face on a regular basis.

During the 60-mile, six-hour long event, robo-vehicles will be expected to obey basic traffic laws, merge onto roadways, observe stop signs, negotiate around buildings, moving objects and even face the daunting task of parking in a designated lot.

Currently, eleven teams are confirmed for next year's event, with several more entrants to be announced later this month.

[Source: New Scientist Tech]

DARPA vehicles to battle on the streets originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Oct 2006 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnegie Mellon and GM entering driverless Tahoe in next DARPA

John Neff — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:24:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, GM

Remember William "Red" Whittaker? He is the ex-marine turned college prof that competed in both the 2004 and 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge with a pair of autonomous H1 HUMMERs named H1ghlander and Sandstorm. Unfortunately for Red, neither HUMMER was able to beat Stanley, the autonomous Volkswagen Touareg from Standard, in last year's challenge that actually saw competitors finish the course for the first time.

Things might be different at next year's DARPA Urban Challenge in which vehicles will have to autonomously pilot themselves through a 60-mile urban course. Red and his team at Carnegie Mellon University will partner with General Motors this year to form Tartan Racing and field a driverless Tahoe as their entrant. Not only does Carnegie Mellon get the free SUV to use, the team will be composed of researchers from both the university and GM. The automaker sees the sponsorship as the fastest way to advance the research and development of future driving aid technologies, while we get the feeling that Red and the college boys just want to beat the pants off of Stanford next year.

[Source: GM]

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Carnegie Mellon and GM entering driverless Tahoe in next DARPA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW GTI '53+1' - Look Ma, no hands!

John Neff — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:49:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Technology, Hatchback, Volkswagen

Named in honor of Herbie the Love Bug, the famous number 53, Volkswagen's GTI '53+1' is car that requires no human nanny. It's a fully automatic car that can negotiate twists, turns and straights at the edge of its performance envelope, all without the aid of a driver's touch. The '53+1' uses radar and laser sensors as electronic eyes, much like many of the entrants in the DARPA Grand Challenge, to read the road ahead, and a satellite navigation system to pinpoint its position to within an inch.

The '53+1' was let loose on a race circuit and reportedly can reach its top speed of 150 mph with no driver on board. To prove the system's abilities, Volkswagen allowed guests at an event to design different road courses using cones and then watched as the driverless GTI ran through them. It even ran through courses faster than the company's own engineers could manage.

While the linked article is sparse on the down-and-dirty details of how the system works, it appears that it's set up to recognize only cones, or at least simple objects on an uncluttered road course. Still, the next DARPA challenge takes place in an urban setting and Stanford, winners of the last challenge with an autonomous Touareg, are planning to use a Passat this time around. If these two ever team up, in the near future we'll be able to order a Rabbit with a Twincharger engine, DSG and Auto Pilot. Now that's innovation.

[Source: Daily Mail]

VW GTI '53+1' - Look Ma, no hands! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Head of Stanford DARPA Challenge project speaks about the future of autonomous vehicles

Eric Bryant — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:52:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Trends, I.C.E., Technology

We had the pleasure of catching Dr. Sebastian Thrun's keynote presentation at the 2006 Sensors Expo on Tuesday, where he spoke to the audience about his experience leading Stanford's DARPA Challenge entry to victory last year and how the project's success may affect the way we drive in the not-so-distant future.

The technical content of "Stanley" is fascinating, of course. Due to the relative inaccuracy of GPS (2 meters of error doesn't cut it on a 2.5-meter-wide mountain pass), a variety of sensors were used for environmental recognition, allowing the vehicle to discern "good" terrain from non-drivable areas. A array of five lasers scan the area in front of the vehicle for obstacles, and their downward trajectory combines with the forward movement of the vehicle to allow for the return of 3D data. Unfortunately, the 20 meter range of the lasers and the 70 Hz scan rate limits the maximum practical speed of the vehicle to 35 MPH or so when relying solely on this navigational device.

To allow the faster travel speeds thought necessary to secure a victory, an optical camera was implemented to learn from the laser system how drivable terrain appears, eventually allowing the vehicle to see much further down the intended path and thus facilitating higher speeds. Doing so isn't as easy as it may seem - color can't be used due to the wide variety in coloration of drivable surfaces (roads may be brown, black, red, tan, or any number of other shades), and texture detection is nearly worthless as Thrun noted that the sky is smoothly textured but yet not a practical path. Radar is also used to provide ranging information.

[Click through for much more on this vehicle and the future of (not) driving...]

Continue reading Head of Stanford DARPA Challenge project speaks about the future of autonomous vehicles

Head of Stanford DARPA Challenge project speaks about the future of autonomous vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA Grand Challenge hits the streets with Urban Challenge

John Neff — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: Technology

The dust has hardly settled on the second DARPA Grand Challege and the Pentagon's Defense Advance Research Project Agency has already announced a new challenge that pits competitors and their autonomous vehicles against an urban environment. The new Urban Challenge will occur on November 3, 2007, but not before many rounds of qualifying. The course will be 60-miles long and entrants must safely complete it in less than six hours while obeying traffic laws, avoiding obstacles, merging with traffic, negotiating intersections and even backing in and out of parking spaces. None of these elements were present in the prior to challenges that took place in the desert.

The top prize will again be $2 million, but there will also be a second prize of $500k and a third of $250k. What's even more interesting is that DARPA (a.k.a. the government) will be offering research funds to certain contenders in exchange for limited licensing rights of any resulting technology.

We suspect this is the Pentagon's subtle way of gaining access to the technology that created the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) and David Hasselhoff's impenetrable coif of helmet hair, both of which could prove useful in an urban battle environment.

Read more details of the Urban Challenge at MSNBC's article here.

[Source: MSNBC via Engadget]

DARPA Grand Challenge hits the streets with Urban Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 May 2006 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PBS goes NOVA on VW's autonomous Touareg

John Neff — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Technology, Volkswagen

Since ESPN passed on airing the DARPA Grand Challenge in its entirety last October, we're grateful that PBS is picking up the slack. The esoterically excellent NOVA program will air "The Great Robot Race" tonight on PBS at 8PM EST, in which the winning VW Touareg named "Stanley" fielded by Stanford University will be showcased along with technological innovations from the other 22 contenders it creamed on its way to the crown.

Autoblog posted a bunch on the race as it was happening, most of which you can find here. Although you can bet our TiVo's are set to tape tonight as we want to see what the future of motorsports looks like with our own eyes.

[Source: Volkswagen]

PBS goes NOVA on VW's autonomous Touareg originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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