DARPA Grand Challenge: Team PVRW

Starting in 2003, I worked with the Palos Verdes Road Warriors to compete in the DARPA Grand Challenge to race an autonomous off-road robot across the desert from Barstow, California to Prim, Nevada. Starting with an Acura MDX, we equipped the controls with EMC mobility controls. This actuator suite controls the throttle cord, uses a lever to push the brake pedal, and has a servo connected to the steering column. In addition, the controls can actuate the transmission. We interfaced the EMC controller with a computer using a D/A converter.

(Above) you can see the driver's seat and the EMC controls where the shifter would normally be. The yellow handle under the steering wheel is the steering column actuator unlock, which allows a human to drive the car.

Above is a picture of the hood of the robot. The light bar is for safety, as is the siren speaker in the back, right. The black antenna is for the E-stop system that DARPA requires of all vehicles so that they can manually override the vehicle.

This shows the safety equipment controllers, and in the bottom right you can see one of the two CCD cameras used for stereovision. For the first year in the event, we did not fully implement stereo vision into the software.

This shows the two servers executing the "brains" of the robot.

We used a SICK laser which scans a 180 degree plane for obstacle avoidance.

Above you can see the DARPA control boxes that interface with the robot to override the autonomous control.

In the back of the car is a Honda generator to power all of the energy draining accessories inside the car so that the alternator isn't overloaded.

For year one in the race, we made it to the final race, a feat only 17 other teams in the nation accomplished. Unfortunately, we had steering problems during the race and it ended for us shortly after taking off as we plowed into a concrete barrier.

Since I left for MIT mid-season of the second year, I was not able to help with the project all the way through on the second-year attempt.