Three robotic vehicles finish $2 million Mojave Desert race

AP Science Writer ^ | today | By ALICIA CHANG

[xcamel]

Three driverless robotic vehicles led by Stanford University on Saturday crossed the finish line of a $2 million Pentagon-sponsored robot race across the rugged Mojave Desert.

The race announcer did not immediately declare a winner because 22 out of the 23 robots left the starting line at staggered times at dawn, racing against the clock rather than each other.

As Stanford's Volkswagen robot dubbed Stanley crossed the finish line, a group of Stanford students erupted into cheers and carried their team leader, Sebastian Thrun, on their shoulders.

"The impossible has been achieved," said Thrun, throwing his cap into the crowd.

Three robots remained on the course.

Stanley started in second, but passed the pole position vehicle, a converted red Hummer named H1ghlander, at the 102-mile mark of the race. H1ghlander and a customized Humvee named Sandstorm, both by Carnegie Mellon University, also finished the race.

"I'm on top of the world," said Carnegie Mellon robotics professor William "Red" Whittaker. "It's the greatest day ever for these machines that pound through the desert."

Whittaker said it appeared H1ghlander suffered a technical glitch that allowed Stanford's robot to overtake it.

[xcamel]

GO VW!! (Touraeg)

[NormsRevenge]

Team Cornell's Spider, # 26, unmanned vehicle from Ithaca, N.Y. competes in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 2005 Grand Challenge robot race sponsored by the Pentagon, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005, in the Mojave Desert near Primm, Nev. Twenty-three robot racers will race to see if any can crisscross 132 miles of rough desert and mountain trails without a human driver or remote control. The first to cover the course in less than 10 hours will win the $2 million purse of the DARPA Grand Challenge. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

[Dark Skies]

Considering they all failed last time...this is big news. And the military is following the progress in this area closely, so we can expect some great leaps forward.

[NormsRevenge]

The crowd cheer as Stanford University Racing Team's entry named 'Standley' is the first to cross the finish line at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 2005 Grand Challenge in Primm, Nevada, October 8, 2005. Twenty-three robotic ground vehicles have been selected to compete in a 150 mile desert road test that could one day lead to unmanned rescue vehicles during wartime. REUTERS/Gene Blevins

[Boundless]

The race is still going, by the way. See:
http://www.grandchallenge.org/

Two more could finish, but neither seems likely to
beat the times already logged by the earlier finishers.

But we're "miles" ahread of last year, when no one finished.

See earlier threads also:
Robotic racers gear up for desert
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1498928/posts

Robotic Vehicles Contend for the Battlefield
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1499150/posts

[NormsRevenge]

[Southack]

It's a cool contest. Nice competition. Better software each year, too.

[Boundless]

> ... Team Cornell's Spider, # 26 ...

Eliminated when it failed to cross a bridge.
Haven't seen a report describing the "failure".
Team has no idea what happened.

[AntiGuv]

FutureTechPing!

An emergent technologies list covering biomedical research, fusion power, nanotech, AI robotics, and other related fields. FReepmail to join or drop.

[Paladin2]

A number of vehicles that left later and seemed to be faster all found trouble along the way. There were some exciting moments. Now we just need to see a mass start (like a horse race).

[Paladin2]

I believe the wording was "hit" the bridge.

[Boundless]

> ... Stanford University Racing Team's entry named 'Standley' ...

Perhaps some irony here. Are ordinary inmates of CA
allowed to buy VW TDIs for highway use?

If, as I suspect, not, how did the kiddos get this one?

[Dark Skies]

Very exciting stuff. A finish by 3 with absolutely no remote help.

[Paladin2]

Uh, VW seem to have an electronics lab in the Bay Area and arranged to have a TDI built in Germany and shipped over for more race prep.

[Paladin2]

It would be possible to have your car drive you back and forth to work (drop you off at the door and valet park itself) within 10 to 15 years if we didn't have any lawyers.

[xcamel]

Nope.. tried to buy one.

Banned in CA, NY, NH, VT, and I think MN.

Really sad. A 300 HP diesel (lux) SUV that gets 28+ MPG on the highway...

[Dark Skies]

Odd thing. That's always what I thought would happen.

But I telecommute. I only go outside when I have to feed the birds...or to get some fresh air.

[Boundless]

>>> ... Stanford University Racing Team's ... 'Standley' ...

>> Perhaps some irony here. Are ordinary inmates of CA
>> allowed to buy VW TDIs for highway use?

> Nope.. tried to buy one.
> Banned in CA, NY, NH, VT, and I think MN.

MA and ME also. But not in KS. We have a
Jetta TDI (pre Axis-of-Weasels, I hasten to add :-).

> Really sad. A 300 HP diesel (lux) SUV that gets
> 28+ MPG on the highway...

Probably more like 22 all around but still beats
comparable gassers.

[xcamel]

Trade ya for my H2 Hummer...

[Jambe]

Ford Escape Hybrid finished but appears to have taken 10 hrs. and 4 minutes, just over the 10 hr. limit.

Great job to the Gray Team!