DARPA Grand Challenge.com

While I normally tend towards reporting on the more sober details of the Urban Challenge, I have to admit that I couldn't resist watching this video of Axion Racing's Spirit unmanned vehicle crashing into a human-driven chase car. Reports indicate that there wasn't too much damage to the driver, or to either of the vehicles. Nonetheless, events like this underscore the potential for mishaps in this high-tech endeavor. What's really amazing is to watch a video like the one below, where Virginia Tech's Victor Tango robot completes the merging task properly.

One of the interesting things that struck me as I was looking at the photos and videos from the National Qualifying Event is how many sponsor stickers there are on the vehicles. From Google to Red Bull, the Urban Challenge seems to be heading for a timespot on ESPN2, or at least TLC. Clearly, the marketers at the sponsor companies felt that the lead competitors, like CMU and Stanford, would be garnering their fair share of eyeballs. This AP article covers the commercialization of the Grand Challenge events, with the head of DARPA intimating that the high degree of sponsor interest may mean that it's time for the organization to move on to less-well-funded research priorities.

Here's a nice video clip from Tartan Racing, showing Boss, their Urban Challenge entry, doing an excellent job on the qualifying course. The road-following is a little unnerving at times, especially the in-camera footage. I still don't think someone would mistake this for a human driver, but it's still pretty impressive, especially when Boss rolls up to a stop sign and stops right on the line.

This past weekend saw the start of the qualification rounds for the 2007 Urban Challenge. While there's a lot of day-to-day robotics engineering going on, much of the coverage in the news media has focused on the possibility for specatular robot-wars-style crashes. And, sure enough, Sting Racing complied by ramming its Porsche Cayenne into a barrier at an estimated 24 mph. This story in the Ventura County Star does a much better job of capturing the true goings-on.

We're a little behind on our blogging here at darpagrandchallenge.com, but it's worth noting that DARPA has announced the list of the thirty-six semifinalist teams (here), and also that the finals will be held on the grounds of the former George AFB in Victorville, CA. The competition site is apparently used as an urban battlefield training ground by the Army, so it sounds like a good fit, and it's doubtful that the Urban Challenge vehicles will be able to do more damage than Army live-fire exercises.

I'm sure he meant it in all seriousness, but DARPA Director Tony Tether said of the competition, “The vehicles must perform as well as someone with a California Driver’s License.” Nothing against Golden State residents, but I'm not sure if that's an adequate requirement for autonomous operation...