Achievements of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge Team

Video Submission: Initially, 86 teams registered to compete in the Urban Challenge. Each was required to submit a 5-minute summary video by late April, 2007, with a brief tour of the vehicle and a demonstration of proper emergency stop behavior, lane following, and passing a single parked vehicle on a closed loop. PAVE managed to complete the basic conversion to drive-by-wire and install, implement, and test the systems required to meet the summary video requirements in a span of about 3 months. Based on this submission, DARPA selected us as one of 53 teams to receive an on-site evaluation.

Site-Visit and Technical Paper: In mid-July, DARPA officials visited us for our on-site evaluation. Through the generosity of FMC Corporation, we were able to secure permission to configure a test course on their Princeton campus according to DARPA specifications: a rectangular loop with three 90 degree turns and a 4-way stop intersection at the fourth. During the on-site evaluation Prospect Twelve was evaluated more rigorously for lane following, passing parked vehicles, and observance of intersection precedence on the course. Our performance at the site visit and our submitted tech paper, warranted us an invitation to the semifinals, as one of 35 teams in the National Qualification Event.

NQE (National Qualification Event): Unfortunately, Prospect Twelve arrived at the NQE in subpar condition. Problems with the braking system prevented the team from passing the basic e-stop test until minutes before the time limit. With the clock ticking down to the end of the NQE, the team worked 24-hour days in an attempt to complete all the qualification runs. Ultimately, our performance at the NQE was not good enough; PAVE was not among the 11 teams selected to go on to the final event.

Continuing Research: Since the end of the Urban Challenge, PAVE has continued to make improvements in order to increase the robustness and reliability of the vehicle’s systems. The Prospect Twelve project page has more information on the updates made to the vehicle and the current state and goals of the project.