Robotics Work darpa grand challenge
The second DARPA Grand Challenge (no competitors completed the first) was a 150 mile desert race with robotic, driverless vehicles. AI was part of a team of undergraduates funded for the most part by the Edgerton Center. We worked to convert a donated engineering test model Ford F-150 into a complete drive-by-wire system with computer control.
I worked to design and build a motor mount for the steering motor, a shock-resistant server rack for the computers, and an enclosure for the electronics package that controls the throttle. I also helped to write code for the throttle control and object interfaces that handled the path navigation software. Unfortunately our team of under-funded undergraduates did not make it to the final conpetition.
Click here to watch the vehicle in action.