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Oshkosh WI (SPX) Jun 07, 2005 Oshkosh Truck Corporation, along with partners Rockwell Collins and the University of Parma, Italy, announced Monday that its TerraMax robotic vehicle is among a select group invited to participate in the 2005 National Qualifying Event (NQE) for the DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile, off-road race in the Mojave desert for completely autonomous vehicles. Of 119 teams, only 40 were invited to the NQE in Fontana, Calif., on Sept. 27. Representatives from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), part of the Department of Defense and sponsor of the DARPA Grand Challenge, evaluated each of the 119 teams seeking to make it to the 40-team qualification stage of the race. Team TerraMax completed three mandatory 200-meter obstacle courses and an optional "freestyle" course to move on to the NQE. "Oshkosh Truck is fully committed to autonomous vehicle development because of the phenomenal benefits it may someday bring to our customers. DARPA's confidence in our ability to field a competitive entry is a great springboard toward the refinements we plan to make over the next few months," said Don Verhoff, executive vice president of engineering and technology for Oshkosh Truck. "Along with our partners at Rockwell Collins and the University of Parma, we believe we have a great competitive vehicle." Over the next several months, most of the refinement will be directed at the path planning, navigation and obstacle avoidance systems carried out by various teams at Rockwell Collins, the University of Parma and Rockwell Scientific. "Our primary focus to date has gone into navigational accuracy", said John Dunn, senior director of Advanced Programs for Rockwell Collins Government Systems. "With our invitation to the NQE, we will now begin spiraling in some of our race-grade technologies such as high-level vision and path planning - all in the effort to increase speed while maintaining our robust obstacle and navigational precision." TerraMax is expected to accurately drive itself, without human intervention, through the desert averaging nearly 20 mph to finish the race in less than 10 hours. The system is designed to perform an automatic driving function, using six computers along with seven laser range-finders, five digital video cameras, three GPS receivers, and two inertial navigation sensors. The TerraMax system has proven its ability to automatically drive the vehicle as well as detect and avoid obstacles along the route. In 2004, TerraMax was one of only seven entries to complete the 1.3-mile qualifying course for the Grand Challenge. The platform for TerraMax is Oshkosh's combat-proven Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR), which was originally built for the U.S. Marine Corps and has been used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq. For the 2005 Grand Challenge, TerraMax has been modified to include rear-wheel steering for improved maneuverability. Related Links TerraMax truck Rockwell Collins Oshkosh Truck Corporation SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Japan Unveils "Robot Suit" That Enhances Human Power
Tokyo (AFP) Jun 07, 2005Japan has taken a step into the science-fiction world with the release of a "robot suit" that can help workers lift heavy loads or assist people with disabilities climb stairs. |
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