21st Century Complete Guide to the DARPA Grand Challenge: Competition for Autonomous Robotic Ground Vehicles; 2004, 2005, and 2007 Events, Urban Challenge, Reports, Movies (Two CD-ROM Set)

This up-to-date electronic book on two CD-ROMs has a comprehensive collection of military documents, reports, and presentations on the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Grand Challenge for autonomous ground vehicles. This extraordinary collection of detailed material is heavily illustrated; in addition to over 5,000 pages reproduced with Adobe Acrobat and fully indexed, there are nine movie clips of the Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle competitions in WMV format. In 2003 DARPA determined the prize authority granted by Congress should be used to accelerate the development of autonomous ground vehicles. A Congressional mandate states by 2015, one-third of the operational ground combat vehicles are unmanned. The first DARPA Grand Challenge offered a $1 million prize for the fastest autonomous vehicle to complete a difficult course through the desert in less than 10 hours. On March 13, 2004, 15 robotic vehicles attempted the route through the Mojave Desert in pursuit of this goal. The most successful vehicle completed approximately 7 miles of the 142-mile route; no prize was awarded. The second event, in October 2005, saw the Stanford University Stanley finish the 132 mile route at an average speed of 19 mph, winning the $2 million prize; the TerraMax s overnight stay in the desert was the first recorded event in which a ground vehicle operated autonomously for more than 24 hours. All but one vehicle exceeded the 7-mile distance achieved by the best vehicle in 2004. For the upcoming 2007 Urban Challenge competition, unmanned ground vehicles must be able to safely operate and maneuver in the presence of other moving vehicles to realize their potential to revolutionize military ground operations. The Urban Challenge will accelerate progress in this area through the demonstration of autonomous unmanned ground vehicles driving safely in a mock urban area with other moving vehicles. This incredible CD-ROM set on two discs is packed with over 5,000 pag