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Grand Challenge - Autonomous Ground Vehicles
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 3:25 pm
by neps
Found a link to this, thought it was pretty interesting. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2002 announced that it would give $1 million to the team that builds an autonomous robotic ground vehicle that wins a race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. This event is set to happen March 13 of this year.
Challenge vehicles must autonomously traverse the challenge route without human interface or control of any kind. The vehicles must perform general route selection and navigation to follow the Challenge route. Vehicles must sense their environment to perceive terrain features, ground conditions, obstacles, and other Challenge vehicles. They must intelligently control their speed and direction so as to avoid or accommodate all of the above. And they must do these things quickly- overall speed will be the deciding factor and the time limit is designed to push vehicle speeds far beyond current technologies.
So basically it seems like KITTs sub systems in the making.
A motorcycle based concept with images and video can be found at
http://www.ghostriderrobot.com/
More on the Event:
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/
Other teams:
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/teams.htm
Re: Grand Challenge - Autonomous Ground Vehicles
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 3:34 pm
by KnightRider2000
It's Heat Vision and Jack! LOL!
-KnighRider2000
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 4:11 pm
by KARR Engineer
But those vehicles will NEVER be as good as KITT!
KARR:Or me, for that matter.
KARR, I think I told You not to but in! This forum has SKAR, not KARR...
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:35 pm
by KnightRider2000
True, so true.
-KnightRider2000
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:38 pm
by neps
But this wasn't a question of it being better than KITT. They aren't even trying to be better than KITT. KITT is fiction, sci-fi fantasy, these vechicles are a reality. They contain one of the features that will bring us closer to having KITT as more than fantasy. Its interesting to see these baby steps towards creating a reality, and they shouldn't be so easily swept aside simply because it isn't as cool yet as the fiction is.
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2004 8:46 pm
by Nexus
This is a bit unusual for DARPA. Can't wait till March 13!
The motorcycle concept you linked to seems like a bold approach...what happens if it tips?!
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:43 am
by KARR Engineer
Robotic arms? You never know what they come up with!
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 10:49 am
by jup
Heh...take alook at the projected versions of the Ghostrider Robot under Pictures. Looks like some sort of "familiar" scanner equipment to me...
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 11:11 am
by neps
You should take a look at some of their videos, they have stability tests. I think it's a bit risky to do a two wheel project because you have an element to deal with that the others don't. The videos they have looks neat, but the bike spends alot of time balancing when driving cause it keeps teetering back and forth.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 11:53 am
by KARR Engineer
I think a quad would be better instead of the bike.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:43 pm
by kido
The bikebot needs more speed to controll the bike,or give it some training wheels.
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:43 pm
by Knight Storm
True. I read why those chose a bike though. And I quote
Single track (two wheel) vehicles cost less, are more efficient and can traverse more extreme environments because they only have conform to the terrain in one axis.
For these reasons, two wheeled vehicle are the second most common means of locomotion for humans, second only to walking!
I think it makes sense a bit more dangerous but sense.
Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 2:30 pm
by neps
While cleaning out some of the old messages, I came to this post by Michael Pajaro about this very event:
http://bb.knightrideronline.com/viewtopic.php?t=2600