Student Team Semifinalist in National Urban Challenge

Unmanned vehicle at DARPA ChallengeThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced that the SciAutonics/Auburn Engineering team will be among the 36 semifinalists for DARPA's Urban Challenge. The team is led by Robert Daily, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

The semi-finalists will next compete in the Urban Challenge National Qualification Event (NQE) scheduled for October 26-31, 2007. The top 20 teams from the NQE will move on to the Urban Challenge final event on November 3, and compete for cash prizes worth $2 million for first, $1 million for second, and $500,000 for third place.  Both the Urban Challenge NQE and final event will take place at the urban military training facility located on the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif.

"The involvement and dedication our students have shown is something the Auburn family should be proud of," says Dave Bevly, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (GAVLAB) at Auburn University. "To be a part of a project that could potentially improve the military's capability to save lives is an incredible opportunity for these students."

DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military.  DARPA's Urban Challenge is designed to cultivate the advancement of automated robotic ground vehicle technology. The competition, to be held on Nov. 3, will require the autonomous ground vehicle of each team to successfully perform simulated military supply missions in an urban setting. There will be a $2 million, $1 million and $500,000 award given to the top three teams who finish the course within the six-hour time frame.

Site visit tests were conducted at each team location by DARPA personnel during the month of June. The tests included an evaluation of the vehicle's ability to navigate a test course with a four-way intersection and moving traffic. Additionally, the test assessed the abilities of the team's robot to merge into moving traffic, plot a course in traffic circles, negotiate busy intersections and evade obstacles. The results of the site visits will determine which of the top 30 teams will move on the national qualification event, set for Oct. 21-31.

"While all the teams have put a lot of hard work in to their vehicles, many of these teams have extensive sponsorship participation," Bevly says. "We're hoping that our continued success with this program will encourage other sponsors to get involved and help us bring the Auburn vehicle to the top of the list."

GAVLAB is involved in numerous other research projects and competitions that focus on the control and navigation of vehicles using GPS in combination with varying sensors. For more information, visit their website at http://gavlab.auburn.edu.