Project info for Expeditor

Created 11 Oct 2003 at 02:47 UTC by Nic, last modified 23 Feb 2005 at 22:27 UTC by Nic.

Notes: Hey everyone!

My cousin Chris and I have been working on an autonomous ground vehicle for over two years now. Basicly it drives from point A to point B - the tricky part is that it has to detect and avoid any obstacles in between.

Our robot, the Expeditor, is based after an ATV. It's rear suspension utilizes a monoshock and a swingarm, and it has independant front a-arm suspension. It has a 13hp 180cc engine with a Comet continuously variable transmission and a forward/neutral/reverse gearbox.

The main sensor is a camera. The camera image is processed using artificial neural networks, which simulate basic brain functions. Also, Magellan Sportrak GPS is used to determine Expeditor's position. Information from the neural networks and GPS is fed into an advanced route planning software tool written entirely by myself, which determines the correct steering and throttle.

We're registered to enter the IRRF Open Challenge - a 300 mile desert race to take place sometime in the future. The prize: $1 million. We're also going to enter the DARPA Grand Challenge, another race to take place in October of 2005, this time with a prize of $2 million.

Our sponsors are VIA Technologies, Roboteq, EG Electronics, SpaceAge Control, and Vortex Solution.

Check out our website at http://teamprodigies.com , the IRRF website, or the DARPA homepage.

P.S. Donations of any size are welcome via PayPal to teamprodigies@hotmail.com :-)

Description: Autonomous Ground Vehicle

This project has the following developers:

• Nic is a Lead Developer.