D.A.R.P.A. Grand Challenge

[Switcher]

Has anyone been watching the D.A.R.P.A. Grand Challenge? Can you believe so many Team's finished the 132 miles? And the winner in (7 1/2 hours).

I didn't think anyone would finish this year (or next), I think the longest was 5 miles last year.

I read the US Defense Department wants 33% of its vehicles autonomous by 2015.

I wander how they rigged the steering? (Servos)?

Any thoughts?

[John S.]

Big G playing with CNC ?

[ViperTX]

The winning team had a small motor....they didn't specify if it was a servo or stepper...it was attached to the steering column....by where the turn signal pod is normally located.

[ynneb]

I didn't think anyone would finish this year (or next), I think the longest was 5 miles last year.

Yeh I saw last years one on TV. I thought like you, there was no way soon it would be achieved.
However I did come up with some cheat ideas though.
1) If you knew the course b4 hand you could predrive the route with a steering sensor and record the movements made. Then with GPS the onboard computer could provide the controller with prerecorded information and tell the vehicle all the moves to make at such and such a point. With the way electronics is you could easily hide this feature inside a chip, and even mark the chip as something else less conspicuous.

OR

2) With Centrino type remote technology you could hover real high in a heli or plane etc and just steer the jolly thing along the track. Again, it would be hard for the judges to find such devices in the vehicles control system.


If I set up that competition, I would make it a rule that a independant EE would have to check out the entire system of the winning vehicles. Maybe they already do.

I wander how they rigged the steering? (Servos)?

That was the very least of thier problems to overcome.


This is the latest competition that has been dominating my thoughts of recent. http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/l...mwrestling.htm

[Possum]

i think the hardest part is the programming. i dont know if the still do it but i know it used to be your team had to do all its own programming and you cant basically borrow someone elses stuff. to take a camera and interpret what it sees and then translate it to movement. jeez i wana know that much.

[Evodyne]

Originally Posted by Possum i think the hardest part is the programming. i dont know if the still do it but i know it used to be your team had to do all its own programming and you cant basically borrow someone elses stuff. to take a camera and interpret what it sees and then translate it to movement. jeez i wana know that much.

Hey bub, think positive. You're young-time is on your side-you can learn. Poor 'ol ynneb is 89! He probably KNEW that much and just forgot. He he he. I'm such a flake. Seriously-glad to see you've accomplished post number one. Welcome to the site.

Evodyne.

[ViperTX]

Actually most of the teams had all sorts of advisors usually Professors at some University (even the teams that were not school sponsored).

The teams are given waypoints for their GPS systems at the start of their run.