The Observer, March 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 19
Case's robot car on display at Cleveland Auto Show
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This November, Dexter's driving test will be more difficult than any 16-year-old could imagine. In an urban environment, Dexter will have to complete a 60-mile course, obey traffic laws, navigate around obstacles, park, and make three-point turns. However, Dexter is not your average driving student. Dexter is an autonomously operated robotic vehicle designed by a team of Case professors and students.
Dexter will be on display until March 4 at the Cleveland Auto Show in the I-X Center. The Case team hopes that the event will bring more exposure to the project and attract sponsors.
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) 2007 Grand Challenge, taking place in November, is intended to encourage research on autonomously operated vehicles for the military. To compete this fall, the Case team must pass a few initial tests including a video submittal and a sight inspection.
On top of the normal challenges that contestants face, the Case team will have to contend with unique obstacles. Dexter is the only "pure robot" entered in the race. This means that there is no person in the vehicle to take control if something goes wrong. For this reason, Dexter is not street legal and can only be tested on closed courses which can be hard to find.
Cleveland's cold weather provides another unique challenge for the Case team. Most teams entered in the DARPA Grand Challenge are from the southwest and do not have to test their vehicle in the ice and snow.
Despite these extra difficulties, Wyatt Newman, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and team leader, said he is confident that Dexter will do well. Dexter was entered in the DARPA Desert Challenge in 2005 and had the fastest split time, but was disqualified because of an emergency stop made to fix a flat tire. "We have a good platform on which to build," he said.
Students who participate in the project acquire many skills they may not pick up in the engineering classroom, according to Newman. Students must learn to write programs that not only work on their own, but are also able to be incorporated with the larger group of programs.
Participants also have to deal with ambiguity in their programming. Sensors (including GPS, lasers, infrared cameras, and radar) will not always put in the same type data every time, but the programs which control the vehicle still have to work effectively.
Brad Hughes, a freshman, has been working on the controlled acceleration from 1-5 miles per hour. He said he has learned about control and systems engineering, mechanical engineering, bio-inspired robotics, computer science and mechanical engineering by working on Dexter. "The project really does integrate all areas of engineering," Hughes said.
However, do not expect the typical college engineering experience. Caffeine-fueled nights will not cut it. "This is a long collection of urgent tasks. You can't pull an all-nighter," said Newman.
