Toward Reliable Off Road Autonomous Vehicles Operating in Challenging Environments

  • Authors:

  • Alonzo Kelly;Anthony Stentz;Omead Amidi;Mike Bode;David Bradley;Antonio Diaz-Calderon;Mike Happold;Herman Herman;Robert Mandelbaum;Tom Pilarski;Pete Rander;Scott Thayer;Nick Vallidis;Randy Warner

  • Affiliations:

  • The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;Sarnoff Corporation, Princeton, NJ;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University;The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Venue:
  • International Journal of Robotics Research
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

The DARPA PerceptOR program has implemented a rigorous evaluative test program which fosters the development of field relevant outdoor mobile robots. Autonomous ground vehicles were deployed on diverse test courses throughout the USA and quantitatively evaluated on such factors as autonomy level, waypoint acquisition, failure rate, speed, and communications bandwidth. Our efforts over the three year program have produced new approaches in planning, perception, localization, and control which have been driven by the quest for reliable operation in challenging environments. This paper focuses on some of the most unique aspects of the systems developed by the CMU PerceptOR team, the lessons learned during the effort, and the most immediate challenges that remain to be addressed.