Stanford Volkswagen Wins DARPA $2M Robot Race

Right from my hometown, a team from Stanford University, has won the 2nd DARPA Robot Race. No one finished the first race, but this year a VW Touareg named Stanley, completed the course in six hours and 53 minutes. The car used only its onboard computer and sensors to navigate the 132 mile course without external assistance. Of the 23 vehicles entered only 5 completed the course. The Stanford car cost $500,000 to make.

PRIMM, Nev. - A driverless Volkswagen won a $2 million race across the rugged Nevada desert Sunday, beating four other robot-guided vehicles that completed a Pentagon-sponsored contest aimed at making warfare safer for humans.

The race displayed major technological leaps since last year's inaugural race, when none of the self-driving vehicles crossed the finish line.

Stanley the VW Touareg, designed by Stanford University, zipped through the 132-mile Mojave Desert course in six hours and 53 minutes Saturday, using only its computer brain and sensors to navigate rough and twisting desert and mountain trails. The Stanford team celebrated by popping champagne and pouring it over the mud-covered Stanley.
Go Stanford Go Stanford

Wow great job Stanford What a great improvement over the last DARPA race. Nobody even came close to finishing that.

I was pulling for the Humvee "Sandstorm" since it went the farthest last year but they pulled off second place and finished the race so it was impressive too.

Shadow is that the Waterloo team you're talking about?

Originally posted by sardion2000
Shadow is that the Waterloo team you're talking about?

Sandstorm the Hummvee was an entry from Carnegie Mellon University

Sandstorm made it the furthest distance last race but that was only like 7 miles. It was pretty bad last race cars and trucks were running off the course and crashing left and right.

This race 5 vehicles managed to finish the whole 132-mile course that is just amazing IMHO.

[edit on 9-10-2005 by ShadowXIX]

Looks like Volkswagen will be changing the tag line in their advertising from

"Drivers Wanted"

to...

"Drivers.....Optional"

I thought this was kinda funny from the yahoo article,

PRIMM, Nev. - A driverless Volkswagen won a $2 million race across the rugged Nevada desert Sunday, beating four other robot-guided vehicles that completed
a Pentagon-sponsored contest aimed at making warfare safer for humans.

So eventually it will be like Robot wars on TLC lol..


[edit on 10-10-2005 by ShiftTrio]

lets hope it works on armored vehicles instead of VWs. theres a difference there.

Originally posted by Bhadhidar
Looks like Volkswagen will be changing the tag line in their advertising from

"Drivers Wanted"

to...

"Drivers.....Optional"

It could be fun to see a driverless Volkswagen cruising around with "Drivers Wanted" logo on the side