Team Cart at BSC Advances to
Second Round of Qualifying for
Autonomous Robotic Competition,
Challenging Major Universities and
Defense Development/
Contracting Leaders in
Autonomous Robotic Competition
(Bluefield)—“Team CART” at Bluefield State College has just received notification that it has met the requirements for the initial stage of qualifying for the Defense Applied Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 2007 Urban Challenge, and will now advance with 52 other teams (from an original field of 95 entrants) to round two. The Department of Defense-sponsored Urban Challenge competition is the sequel to DARPA’s 2005 “Grand Challenge,” and will again feature autonomous ground vehicles that will independently navigate through and around a variety of terrain and traffic challenges. Team CART is the only West Virginia entrant in the event.
Next month, DARPA personnel will conduct site visit tests to assess the ability of each team’s autonomous vehicle to perform tasks and operate safely. Vehicles will be evaluated on their ability to navigate a test course, including a four-way intersection and moving traffic. “We have seen a dramatic increase in vehicle capabilities since the first Grand Challenge,” observed DARPA Director Dr. Tony Tether. “The ingenuity and dedication of these teams and the growth of the community in this area are phenomenal.”
“At this stage of preparation, Team CART is working with a small budget, but represents a region with a gift for working under these conditions,” noted CART Vice President/Operations Bruce Mutter. “Our challenge this year, as it was two years ago, is to use ingenuity and creativity to offset budgetary constraints.” Mutter noted that BSC alumni who served on Team CART during DARPA’s 2005 Grand Challenge and other projects are now playing very important roles on graduate school-level teams from Carnegie Mellon University and Virginia Tech.
“We have been fortunate to partner with Charlatte America in Bluefield, VA to develop the electronic drive train for our autonomous vehicle, the ‘Elise fox,’” Mutter added. “Joe Hart and Martin Lock have been generous with their expertise and evening help. Additionally, Charlatte America has made their facilities available as a working laboratory as we continue preparations for this year’s competition.”
Two years ago, an autonomous ground vehicle (“Scorpion-fox”) outfitted by Team CART of BSC, working alongside Preferred Chassis Fabrication, Inc. of Tucson, Arizona, advanced through six rounds of qualifying in the DARPA event, progressing from the original field of more than 200 entrants, reaching the final 48 team level and moving to within one round of earning a spot in the Grand Challenge, a 200-mile race through a rugged desert & mountain course.
Team CART (Center for Applied Research and Technology) has always included Bluefield State College students from several academic disciplines, along with Dr. Robert Riggins (BSC Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology) and Mutter. “Our autonomous vehicle is now built around Lotus Elise car platforms by a team composed of College faculty, local research associates, and industrial engineers, graduate students and alumni,” Mutter said.
The 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge will take place in a yet to be disclosed urban setting in the western United States, adding another dimension to the event. “We’re certainly excited about the opportunities presented by the Urban Challenge and our chances in meeting it,” noted Mutter. “At the Grand Challenge, we may have lacked some of the financial resources of many DARPA teams, but we never want to excuse ourselves from running with the best industrial and academic organizations in the competition. In fact, our Scorpion-based project legacy continues under the direction of Raytheon. Additionally, the Grand Challenge was an inspiring ‘real world’ applied research experience for our students and helped them visualize the limitless potential for their future careers in engineering technology.”
The Urban Challenge will feature fully autonomous ground vehicles conducting simulated military supply missions safely and effectively in a mock urban area. In the final event, on November 3, 2007, at an undisclosed location in the western U.S., robotic vehicles will attempt to complete a 60-mile course through traffic in less than six hours, operating under their own computer-based control. To succeed, vehicles must obey traffic laws while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections, and avoiding obstacles.
DARPA’s Urban Challenge has been successful in attracting enthusiasts from around the world to develop autonomous vehicle technology that will some day protect the lives of American men and women on the battlefield. Operation of autonomous vehicles in the Urban Challenge will test the ability of robots to operate safely and effectively in populated areas.
May 23, 2007
School of Engineering Technology & Computer Science
