Carnegie Mellon University’s autonomous SUV named Boss successfully completed the 60 mile DARPA Urban Challenge over the weekend, winning $2 million for the university. Stanford came in second and Virginia Tech third. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech’s own Porsche Cayenne named Sting 1 did not complete the challenge after having several problems including an accident involving a barrier.
Thanks to General Motors, I had the chance to check out and get a ride in the Tartan Racing SUV at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh over the summer. If you’re interested in reading about the technology behind Boss, including the 10 Core 2 Duo computer blades and various sensors, definitely read that article. Completing the DARPA Urban Challenge is no small feat. Many teams have been developing their platforms for years and even then only 6 of the 11 vehicles saw the finish line.
The point of DARPA’s Urban Challenge is to develop technology that can be used in military and consumer vehicle applications in the near future. Maybe you’ll see a car with some sort of auto-pilot mode when you’re out car shopping in 2015.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the most we could muster in my college days was a Go Kart race :-)
I don’t think “various sensors” sums it up! That thing looks wild! I’d love to see how that thing works.
this is really putting it together. i could just imagine what would it be like for a car with auto pilot!^_^ i see this technology very promising. its really fun to think about the fusion of Motor Sports and Technology.
In case you are interested, this weeks New Scientist magazine (17th November), features quite a lengthy article on robotic cars, and talks about the DARPA Urban Challenge. More info at the New Scientist website: http://tinyurl.com/3×7yyp
I’ve been following this on and off for years. 6 out of 11 is actually a good showing. I think competitions like this and the X Prize really help develop technology. Same can be said of the Startup Weekend. The promise of future reward and the participation in a group effort can be as powerful as a paycheck.