Eighteen months ago, when Darpa held its “Grand Challenge” — a $1 million, all-robot rally across the Mojave desert — none of the competitors could get past mile seven of the 150 mile-long course.
That was then, this is now.
A second, slightly shorter, Grand Challenge went down yesterday. And three robo-cars managed to complete the entire 132-mile race. Two were from Carnegie Mellon’s massive robotics program. Finishing just a few minutes ahead, with an average speed of 17 miles per hour, was Stanley, a modified Volkswagen Touareg from Stanford University.
It’s an incredible feat. Giving robots the intelligence and the vision to manuever over all that rough terrain was considered closer to science fiction than science fantasy not too long ago. I’m beyond impressed. And so is the Pentagon. “I don’t know if I’d go ‘moon shot,’” Darpa director Anthony Tether told the Merc-News. “It’s closer to the Wright brothers.”
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How many scientists about one hundred years ago would predict we would have aircrafts that would fly in sky? How may people one century ago would have thought some of the Mad Scientist Tesla’s inventions would have been used in public? How many people decades ago would have thought lasers and rail connon weapons would become reality, at least at testing phase by the Department of Defense? Science has the potential to make science fiction become science, and we are seeing it happening again. Maybe we would see anti-gravity crafts being invented hundred years later, which not many have thought would become possible and just laugh at it as science fiction. Well, those who tend to think science fiction will remain science fiction are the people who will be laughed back. Never underestimate the potentials of science making science fiction a reality.
As much as I would’ve loved to see this robot race in person, the whole event radiates creepiness thanks to the Official Sponsor. DARPA? What the hell? If DARPA is involved, you can bet these robot vehicles will be up to No Good At All & will quickly be “helping” the Pentagon spy on Americans at home.
In terms of spy, I agree for the concerns of foreigners within certain teams of the Grand Challenge Race. I won’t mention specific teams and names, but I have noticed Chinese and Russians within teams, and this is a real concern if these people leak information to their homeland. I wish DARPA would have not accept foreigners and foreign firms to be involved, at least those which are from unfriendly countires. French and Israelis should not be allowed as well even they were allies for France and Israel to attempt many times to steal valuable military information.
Personally, I’m glad to see an international presence in this civilian race. It subtly shakes any belief that we Americans are inherently superior in any or all aspects of creativity and imagination, and that we are intellectually independent from the rest of the world. Chinese, Russian, French, Israeli…all good to have here with us.
Lets test them in the US Mex border.
& Iraq & Pakistan/India border.
Imagine whole drone fleets moving troops & Recon & MedEvac role.
Guided by Predator UAV C3I plane???
C130 CP?
Send in stealth drone vehicles into Mexican borderlands for 24/7 stealth mode.
Great for SWAT use & FD use.
Save lives & time.
Test with Minigun module & Sonic emiiters & Rockets.
Nice battering Ram for LAPD forces etc. nationwide.
OR carry gold bullion vs manned armored vehicles.
Nice.
There were FOUR vehicles which completed the course. Although the last vehicle, Oshkosh Truck’s Terra-Max, did not finish within the required timeframe, it was probably the only one of the competing vehicles which could have hauled a significant cargo load.
Oops! There were FIVE vehicles which finished the course, not four. My apologies. Terra-Max seems like more of a realistic integration of the autonomous vehicle technology since it used a military transport vehicle with considerable off-road and on-road cargo capacity.
Pretty smart waiting one year until the prize money increased. No sense claiming $1mm when $2mm is better. Have to hand it to those folks not only are they Tech smart they have financial insight as well.
Well done!
Let me get this straight; Hundreds of our top scientists spend millions of dollars and dozens of man-years of research with the very leading edge of technology to accomplish what any moderately skilled 13 year-old could’ve done. Is that about right?
Secondly, to the snotty-nosed comment “…shakes any belief that we Americans are inherently superior in any or all aspects of creativity and imagination, and that we are intellectually independent from the rest of the world.” First of all, we Americans ARE superior to the rest of the world, overall. No, we don’t have a corner on the market of intellectual property and no, we don’t have ALL of the great ideas. But I’d stack American accomplishments overall against any and all other nations since the dawn of time! Secondly, only we Americans would allow other nations to participate in such a contest and willingly cooperate with them in their efforts. (Try imagining a similar French contest and what they would and wouldn’t allow). Third of all, maybe guilt lurks in the heart of the writer of this comment, but not in mine. I know what Americans have done and continue to do for the rest of the world. I am not, and never will be ashamed of our superiority, but I also will never be arrogant about it. True Americans never are.