Odin: Team VictorTango's entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge

  • Authors:

  • Andrew Bacha;Cheryl Bauman;Ruel Faruque;Michael Fleming;Chris Terwelp;Charles Reinholtz;Dennis Hong;Al Wicks;Thomas Alberi;David Anderson,;Stephen Cacciola;Patrick Currier,;Aaron Dalton;Jesse Farmer;Jesse Hurdus;Shawn Kimmel;Peter King;Andrew Taylor;David Van Covern;Mike Webster

  • Affiliations:

  • TORC Technologies, LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;TORC Technologies, LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;TORC Technologies, LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;TORC Technologies, LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;TORC Technologies, LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060;Unmanned Systems Group, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Field Robotics - Special Issue on the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, Part I
  • Year:
  • 2008

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

The DARPA Urban Challenge required robotic vehicles to travel more than 90 km through an urban environment without human intervention and included situations such as stop intersections, traffic merges, parking, and roadblocks. Team VictorTango separated the problem into three parts: base vehicle, perception, and planning. A Ford Escape outfitted with a custom drive-by-wire system and computers formed the basis for Odin. Perception used laser scanners, global positioning system, and a priori knowledge to identify obstacles, cars, and roads. Planning relied on a hybrid deliberative-reactive architecture to analyze the situation, select the appropriate behavior, and plan a safe path. All vehicle modules communicated using the JAUS (Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems) standard. The performance of these components in the Urban Challenge is discussed and successes noted. The result of VictorTango's work was successful completion of the Urban Challenge and a third-place finish. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.