Winning the DARPA Grand Challenge
Single Paper Presentation

Sebastian Thrun
Stanford University

     Abstract ID Number: 87
     Full text: Not available
     Last modified: March 16, 2006
     Presentation date: 06/18/2006 11:30 AM in Hamilton Building, McNeil Theatre
     (View Schedule)

Abstract
The DARPA Grand Challenge was the most significant event in the field of robotics in more than a decade. A mobile ground robot had to traverse 132 miles of punishing desert terrain in less than ten hours. In 2004, the best robot only made 7.3 miles. A year later, Stanford won this historical challenge and cashed the $2M prize. This talk, delivered by the leader of the Stanford Racing Team, will provide insights into the software architecture of Stanford's winning robot ''Stanley.'' The robot heavily relied on advanced sensor technology, and advanced artificial intelligence to make sense out of the massive amounts of sensor data acquired by the vehicle. The talk will introduce you into the fascinating world of autonomous robotics, share with you many of the race insights, and discuss with you some of the implications for the future of self-driving cars.