Robot vehicles conquer desert terrain race

[norml]

Robot vehicles conquer desert terrain race
Sat Oct 8, 2005 9:35 PM ET

By Reed Stevenson


PRIMM, Nev (Reuters) - Three modified driverless vehicles crossed the finish line and into the history books on Saturday after traversing 132 miles of desert terrain, guided only by laser sensors and onboard computers.

No winner was declared yet for the $2 million prize in the race, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to spur the development of driverless vehicles that one day could carry water, fuel and other supplies for the U.S. military in war zones.

Organizers said they were waiting for final race times from the three driverless vehicles that finished and two others still on the course, which would be paused overnight and restarted on Sunday.

A winner, based on travel times, would be declared early Sunday, said DARPA Director Tony Tether. "We have a winner, we just don't know who it is," Tether told reporters.

Last year, in the inaugural race sponsored by DARPA, called the Grand Challenge, every machine failed within sight of the starting line. The Pentagon decided to double the prize and hold the event again this year.


snip


http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2005-10-09T013544Z_01_YUE854701_RTRUKOC_0_US-ROBOT-RACE.xml

[daleo]

1. Eventually, the military will want to kill people with these things.

The longer I live, the more ambivalent I become about technical achievements, especially those financed by militaries of the world.

[norml]

3. Four Robotic Vehicles Finish Desert Race

Four Robotic Vehicles Finish Desert Race

PRIMM, Nev., Oct. 9, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(AP) Four robotic vehicles finished a Pentagon-sponsored race across the Mojave desert Saturday and achieved a technological milestone by conquering steep drop-offs, obstacles and tunnels over a rugged 132-mile course without a single human command.

The vehicles, guided by sophisticated software, gave scientists hope that robots could one day wage battles without endangering soldiers.

"The impossible has been achieved," cried Stanford University's Sebastian Thrun, after the university's customized Volkswagen crossed first. Students cheered, hoisting Thrun atop their shoulders.

Also finishing was a converted red Hummer named H1ghlander and a Humvee called Sandstorm from Carnegie Mellon University. The Stanford robot dubbed Stanley overtook the top-seeded H1ghlander at the 102-mile mark.

"I'm on top of the world," said Carnegie Mellon robotics professor William "Red" Whittaker, who said a mechanical glitch allowed Stanley to pass H1ghlander.


snip


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/09/ap/business/mainD8D486OO8.shtml

[leesa]

11. A "mechanical glitch" had big ramifications and he's on top of the world?

I would think a robotics professor would be concerned about that glitch.

It's nice of them though to provide a little target practice for the Iraqis.

[ErisFiveFingers]

4. The military...

....is *already* killing people with numerous robotic systems. These are just land based robots, unlike UAV robots, or cruise missles.

The whole point of Grand Challenge was to free up supply line issues, and yes, these will be used in ways that kill people, or support the killing of people.

OTOH, I can forsee a future benefit in outfitting a convoy of food aid to drive to some remote village, without risking any human life. I can forsee amphibian robotic busses driving during a hurricane to rescue victims.

My favorite military/DARPA project is, of course, the project you are using right now to read this post: A global network that has no one center to remove, the Internet.

[FULL_METAL_HAT]

10. amphibian robotic busses driving during a hurricane to rescue victims

nice!

You might enjoy "Heavy Weather" by Bruce Sterling btw.
(http://www.sfreviews.com/docs/Bruce%20Sterling_1994_Heavy%20Weather.htm)

[daleo]

13. Everything has good and bad uses, especially military technology.

But, it seems like most of these military gizmos have been used more for bad than good lately. Without self-defense means, a vehicle like this would be easy for any opposition to pick off. But self defense really means offense - humans soldiers kill innocent civilians all too often, so imagine much worse a robot with some rudimentary AI would be on that score.

It wasn't lack of technology that doomed people in New Orleans, it was lack of political will. That can't be changed by robots.

I do obviously also like the internet.

[shenmue]

2. Yea, robots!

I've been waiting for this for years!


:D :7 :party: :bounce:

[Lochloosa]

5. I wonder when they will become self-aware

[BiggJawn]

7. "Ah am da FOOCHER!"

"Where ist ya Mawtha? Ah need t' tawk to ya MAWTHA!"

"Ah vill go t' Sock-Ree-Mentho an' FEEX theengs...Whoops! Rong moofie!"

Maybe they can use this technology on that piece-o-shit, straight-from-a-"Simpson's"-episode Las Vegas Monorail?

[slaveplanet]

6. sheesh

where's John Conner when you need him?
:shrug:

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

8. clever way to skim technology from unsuspecting

participants.

[mbperrin]

9. OK. So billions are spent on putting satellites in orbit and

developing GPS technology and lasers so that a machine can do what any 16 year old boy could do if you told him there was free and legal beer at the end of the course?

Progress, indeed!

[tinrobot]

12. Great technology.

I think every car in LA should have something like this.

Sometimes I think letting robots drve would be far safer than having to share the road with drunks, rageaholics, and senile drivers who don't know the difference between the gas and brake.