DARPA Ubran Grand Challenge-36 Semi-Finalist Make the Cut

During a morning press conference today, DARPA announced that not only do they have a good size group for the Semi Final round but that DARPA organizers believe that they will actually be paying the prize money come November.

Here are some autonomous contestants:


To understand what this success means, just take a look at some of the more difficult trials the autonomous vehicles must perform to be considered as meeting the grand challenge.

Autonomous vehicles will be graded on the following abilities:
Staying in lane/Road following
Obeying speed limits.
Avoiding excess delays, particularly at traffic stops.
Avoiding collisions with objects and other autonomous vehicles
Stopping appropriately at stop lines
Appropriate vehicle separation for a particular speed
Performs lane change passing maneuver
3-point turn (U-Turn)
Intersection Precedence (Right-of-way)
Minimum following distance
Queuing/Merging
Obstacle avoidance including oncoming vehicles in same lane
Parking lot (ability to park with cars already in the parking lot.)
Dynamic re planing (ability to reroute around obstacles)
Can cope with GPS Outage
Left turn across incoming traffic.

I think we are actually going to get our autopilot cars during the next decade.


Also announced was the location of both the national qualifier round and the finals:

The DARPA Urban Challenge will take place in Victorville, California at the site of the former George Air Force Base on November 3, 2007. The National Qualification Event will take place at the same location, October 26-31, 2007.