Stanford and Volkswagen Create Autonomous Vehicle
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Stanford and Volkswagen Create Autonomous Vehicle
Stanford University, Volkswagen and a venture-capital firm are making a major effort to win a $2 million prize by driving 175 miles across the desert in 10 hours -- with no one in the driver's seat.
``Why do people climb Mount Everest?'' asked Sebastian Thrun, the Stanford professor in charge of making an unmanned SUV named Stanley run. ``It's the biggest robotic challenge there is.''
The first DARPA Grand Challenge, named for the government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was held in early 2004. It was something of a bust, as some of the 15 teams couldn't get going or didn't go very far. The best team, from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University, used a converted Hummer H1 and went only 7.4 miles on the 142-mile Barstow-to-Primm, Nev., course before getting stuck on a berm.
This year's event, to be held Oct. 8 somewhere with ``demanding desert terrain'' in the Southwest, offers a $2 million prize. The Stanford Racing Team was one of 195 entrants, and one of 118 to pass the first hurdle and get a technology-confirming site visit from DARPA officials.
The purpose of the event is to further research into what the Department of Defense calls ``autonomous ground vehicles that will help save American lives on the battlefield.'' The rules are relatively simple: Vehicles must go on the ground, be 9 feet tall or less and weigh less than 20 tons.
On their own
And, once started, they must operate on their own. These aren't remote-controlled cars. As a moving DARPA vehicle approaches an obstacle, it must recognize the obstacle, engage its own brakes, shift itself into reverse and then drive around the obstacle.
Stanford's Stanley is a diesel-powered VW Touareg R5 sport-utility. It has been created by a team of 60 that includes Stanford professors, students and staffers; engineers from Volkswagen of America's Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto; as well as with money and advice from Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a Menlo Park VC firm with $1.4 billion under management.
``We have gas, brake, steering and shifting that's electronically controllable,'' said Cedric Dupont, a VW research engineer. ``That means our computer, as long as it's intelligent enough, will be able to drive the car.''
The car gets special tires, a grille guard and full-body skid plates. Its cargo area is stuffed with seven Pentium M computers and back-up batteries. Atop, there are GPS satellite units as well as radar units for long-range vision and five laser range-finders that allow the SUV to see what's ahead and go around obstacles, if needed.
Its dusty outside -- much testing is done on a dirt track around a Quonset hut on the Stanford campus -- is plastered with the logos of its sponsors. The message above its rear wheel wells reads: ``Drivers not required.''
The biggest challenge to overcome between now and October is one of the vehicle's long-range perception, Thrun said.
``Right now, we can't drive at 35 mph and safely avoid ruts. We see the ruts too late,'' he said.
Tech applications
Pamela Mahoney, a marketing executive with Mohr, Davidow Ventures, said her firm hopes that technologies conceived during the project might lead to ``really interesting applications that could generate new start-ups.''
VW's Dupont said the project already has been a success for his company and its Silicon Valley research facility.
``We've learned an enormous amount of things,'' he said. ``If we win, it's a no-brainer -- from a marketing perspective and the visibility it can get. For us, the real benefit is the research value.''
Besides the one from Stanford, five other teams from the Bay Area are participating.
By June 1, 40 teams will be picked to participate in a qualifying event at California Speedway in Fontana to be held in late September. Of those, 20 will participate in the Grand Challenge event.
The ultimate goal, Dupont said, is safer roads as future cars might help their drivers avoid accidents.
Thrun, who heads Stanford's artificial intelligence lab, sees the same thing -- but, perhaps, without a driver.
``In the future, at some point, commuting will mean you can lay back in the car and it will drive itself,'' he said. ``It's just a matter of when it's going to happen.''
Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/sil...y/11685903.htm
``Why do people climb Mount Everest?'' asked Sebastian Thrun, the Stanford professor in charge of making an unmanned SUV named Stanley run. ``It's the biggest robotic challenge there is.''
The first DARPA Grand Challenge, named for the government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was held in early 2004. It was something of a bust, as some of the 15 teams couldn't get going or didn't go very far. The best team, from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University, used a converted Hummer H1 and went only 7.4 miles on the 142-mile Barstow-to-Primm, Nev., course before getting stuck on a berm.
This year's event, to be held Oct. 8 somewhere with ``demanding desert terrain'' in the Southwest, offers a $2 million prize. The Stanford Racing Team was one of 195 entrants, and one of 118 to pass the first hurdle and get a technology-confirming site visit from DARPA officials.
The purpose of the event is to further research into what the Department of Defense calls ``autonomous ground vehicles that will help save American lives on the battlefield.'' The rules are relatively simple: Vehicles must go on the ground, be 9 feet tall or less and weigh less than 20 tons.
On their own
And, once started, they must operate on their own. These aren't remote-controlled cars. As a moving DARPA vehicle approaches an obstacle, it must recognize the obstacle, engage its own brakes, shift itself into reverse and then drive around the obstacle.
Stanford's Stanley is a diesel-powered VW Touareg R5 sport-utility. It has been created by a team of 60 that includes Stanford professors, students and staffers; engineers from Volkswagen of America's Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto; as well as with money and advice from Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a Menlo Park VC firm with $1.4 billion under management.
``We have gas, brake, steering and shifting that's electronically controllable,'' said Cedric Dupont, a VW research engineer. ``That means our computer, as long as it's intelligent enough, will be able to drive the car.''
The car gets special tires, a grille guard and full-body skid plates. Its cargo area is stuffed with seven Pentium M computers and back-up batteries. Atop, there are GPS satellite units as well as radar units for long-range vision and five laser range-finders that allow the SUV to see what's ahead and go around obstacles, if needed.
Its dusty outside -- much testing is done on a dirt track around a Quonset hut on the Stanford campus -- is plastered with the logos of its sponsors. The message above its rear wheel wells reads: ``Drivers not required.''
The biggest challenge to overcome between now and October is one of the vehicle's long-range perception, Thrun said.
``Right now, we can't drive at 35 mph and safely avoid ruts. We see the ruts too late,'' he said.
Tech applications
Pamela Mahoney, a marketing executive with Mohr, Davidow Ventures, said her firm hopes that technologies conceived during the project might lead to ``really interesting applications that could generate new start-ups.''
VW's Dupont said the project already has been a success for his company and its Silicon Valley research facility.
``We've learned an enormous amount of things,'' he said. ``If we win, it's a no-brainer -- from a marketing perspective and the visibility it can get. For us, the real benefit is the research value.''
Besides the one from Stanford, five other teams from the Bay Area are participating.
By June 1, 40 teams will be picked to participate in a qualifying event at California Speedway in Fontana to be held in late September. Of those, 20 will participate in the Grand Challenge event.
The ultimate goal, Dupont said, is safer roads as future cars might help their drivers avoid accidents.
Thrun, who heads Stanford's artificial intelligence lab, sees the same thing -- but, perhaps, without a driver.
``In the future, at some point, commuting will mean you can lay back in the car and it will drive itself,'' he said. ``It's just a matter of when it's going to happen.''
Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/sil...y/11685903.htm