Grand Challenge will not be shown on Wide World of Sports

tw · 03-10-2004, 12:11 PM

The future of space exploration is autonomous vehicles - robots. We have not even begun to understand or build such machines. For example, farm equipment does about 1 billion miles every year - unfortunately still requiring human drivers. This Saturday, 13 Mar, DARPA will conduct a contest among 20 'supercomputers on wheels'. A race called "Grand Challenge" from Barstow CA to Las Vegas - 250 miles in less than 10 hours. Each robot must at that time learn of and make the journey by visiting 1000 waypoints, transversing rivers, and travelling up to 60 MPH - all without any human intervention. The prize is $1million - which really does not cover the cost of these vehicles. But mankind marches on. This is was makes jobs, wealth, growth, eliminates recessions, advances technology, etc. (Nonsense tax cuts and other MBA inspired 'solutions' only undermine all these advances in the long term).

The contest has been in the planning and development stage for years - and yet hardly reported by junk news services such as the local Action News or Daily News. Niether can even bother to report why a conventional vehicle crash happened. One would think they might report high tech vehicles crashes. But no hype in that - no blood.

Carnegie Mellon outfitted a Hummer using a four way Intel Itanium parallel processor and three Xeon processor system. Steering uses by-wire system (electrical steering). SciAutonics LLC uses a PowerPC based vehicle control system, three ruggedized laptops, and an industrial computer all connected by ethernet bus. These to handle inputs from navigation, ultrasound sensors, and infrared laser detection systems. Systems will use GPS for navigation. But that means at best, an update at 5 hz - far too long for point by point navigation. These vehicles must discover how to get from point A to point B, then use GPS to discover where vehicle is located, then plan a route from point B to point C - all this repeated many times to only get from the first waypoint to second (of 1000) waypoints.

Its not difficult for a human to see a tree, know it for what it is, and go around it. Very difficult for an automonous vehicle to make the same discovery and associated route plan. Virgina Tech is using a four wheel drive utility cart with computers from National Instrument, a radar, an optical laser range finder, differential GPS, and a conventional light camera.

So who will carry this sporting event live?

russotto · 03-10-2004, 01:10 PM

250 miles in 10 hours? Of course no one is going to show it live; it's BORING. For the participants, it's intervals of boredom punctuated by intervals of anxiety (sort of like war only with lower stakes) but for spectators, it's just plain boring.

wolf · 03-10-2004, 01:14 PM

It'll be on the Discovery Channel in 3 months, though, right?

Happy Monkey · 03-10-2004, 01:54 PM

When I was at CMU, I'd occasionally see the earlier incarnations of the autonomous vehicle by the robotics building. At that point, it was a military box truck, and, I think, a minivan.

tw · 03-10-2004, 04:26 PM

Quote:

from NY Times entitled Robot Vehicle Successfully Navigates Test Course
Fontana, Calif., March 9 - A robotic vehicle designed by a team from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Tuesday became the first driverless contestant to navigate a 1.36 mile test course in preparation for the Pentagon's $1 million robot race this weekend.

The Carnegie Mellon vehicle, named Sandstorm and representing an investment of more than $3 million, has generally been considered the favored entrant in the race, ...

xoxoxoBruce · 03-10-2004, 04:49 PM

Boeing has a big stake in sandstorm.

tw · 03-10-2004, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by russotto
250 miles in 10 hours? Of course no one is going to show it live; it's BORING.

And golf is exciting?

russotto · 03-11-2004, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tw
And golf is exciting?

Certainly by comparison.

Griff · 03-11-2004, 07:06 PM

We're rooting for Pete's comp any.

lumberjim · 03-11-2004, 07:47 PM

I have to agree with tw on this. the geek in me has a virtual woodie. this beats the bejeezus out of baseball, golf, nascar, and figure skating combined. it would be better if they added a slpash of a "robot wars" type element, but if they spent $3mil on just one robot, i can see why they wouldn't.

not that i'd be glued to my tv for 10 hours, but i would definately make time to watch the highlight show.

elSicomoro · 03-11-2004, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lumberjim
I have to agree with tw on this.

The apocalypse is coming...

lumberjim · 03-11-2004, 07:54 PM

scary, huh?

Griff · 03-12-2004, 11:25 AM

I caught tw agreeing with Radar as well... strange times brothers, strange times.

Elspode · 03-13-2004, 09:18 PM

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._us/robot_race

lumberjim · 03-13-2004, 10:07 PM

Quote:

One of the early favorites, a military Humvee converted by Carnegie Mellon University students, managed to travel 7.4 miles before veering off course and snapping an axle during the race.

shoulda used a jeep

03-10-2004, 12:11 PM	#1
tw Read? I only know how to write. Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 11,933	Grand Challenge will not be shown on Wide World of Sports The future of space exploration is autonomous vehicles - robots. We have not even begun to understand or build such machines. For example, farm equipment does about 1 billion miles every year - unfortunately still requiring human drivers. This Saturday, 13 Mar, DARPA will conduct a contest among 20 'supercomputers on wheels'. A race called "Grand Challenge" from Barstow CA to Las Vegas - 250 miles in less than 10 hours. Each robot must at that time learn of and make the journey by visiting 1000 waypoints, transversing rivers, and travelling up to 60 MPH - all without any human intervention. The prize is $1million - which really does not cover the cost of these vehicles. But mankind marches on. This is was makes jobs, wealth, growth, eliminates recessions, advances technology, etc. (Nonsense tax cuts and other MBA inspired 'solutions' only undermine all these advances in the long term). The contest has been in the planning and development stage for years - and yet hardly reported by junk news services such as the local Action News or Daily News. Niether can even bother to report why a conventional vehicle crash happened. One would think they might report high tech vehicles crashes. But no hype in that - no blood. Carnegie Mellon outfitted a Hummer using a four way Intel Itanium parallel processor and three Xeon processor system. Steering uses by-wire system (electrical steering). SciAutonics LLC uses a PowerPC based vehicle control system, three ruggedized laptops, and an industrial computer all connected by ethernet bus. These to handle inputs from navigation, ultrasound sensors, and infrared laser detection systems. Systems will use GPS for navigation. But that means at best, an update at 5 hz - far too long for point by point navigation. These vehicles must discover how to get from point A to point B, then use GPS to discover where vehicle is located, then plan a route from point B to point C - all this repeated many times to only get from the first waypoint to second (of 1000) waypoints. Its not difficult for a human to see a tree, know it for what it is, and go around it. Very difficult for an automonous vehicle to make the same discovery and associated route plan. Virgina Tech is using a four wheel drive utility cart with computers from National Instrument, a radar, an optical laser range finder, differential GPS, and a conventional light camera. So who will carry this sporting event live?

03-10-2004, 01:14 PM	#3
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	It'll be on the Discovery Channel in 3 months, though, right? __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

03-10-2004, 01:54 PM	#4
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	When I was at CMU, I'd occasionally see the earlier incarnations of the autonomous vehicle by the robotics building. At that point, it was a military box truck, and, I think, a minivan. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

03-10-2004, 04:49 PM	#6
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Boeing has a big stake in sandstorm. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-11-2004, 07:06 PM	#9
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	We're rooting for Pete's comp any. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

03-10-2004, 01:10 PM	#2
russotto Professor Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,788	250 miles in 10 hours? Of course no one is going to show it live; it's BORING. For the participants, it's intervals of boredom punctuated by intervals of anxiety (sort of like war only with lower stakes) but for spectators, it's just plain boring.

03-11-2004, 07:47 PM	#10
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	I have to agree with tw on this. the geek in me has a virtual woodie. this beats the bejeezus out of baseball, golf, nascar, and figure skating combined. it would be better if they added a slpash of a "robot wars" type element, but if they spent $3mil on just one robot, i can see why they wouldn't. not that i'd be glued to my tv for 10 hours, but i would definately make time to watch the highlight show. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-11-2004, 07:54 PM	#12
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	scary, huh? __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-12-2004, 11:25 AM	#13
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	I caught tw agreeing with Radar as well... strange times brothers, strange times. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

03-13-2004, 09:18 PM	#14
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	'Well...back to the old drawing board..." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._us/robot_race __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

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