 |
| |
| | Race car no. 47 is back -
Team-LUX returns home from the Darpa Urban Challenge 2007
After an exciting 2 weeks at the Darpa Urban Challenge in Victorville, California, Team-LUX has now returned home again to Hamburg together with the LUX race car. In total, 35 teams were there for the National Qualification Event (NQE). Each team had to go at least 2 times through 3 test area challenges during the NQE to qualify for the final on 3 November. The cars had to handle all situations perfectly in line with California driving laws. In Test Area A Team-LUX got off to a great start. The area consisted of an oval about 1/3 mile in circumference plopped onto a parking lot, outlined in concrete barriers. Vehicles driven by DARPA-hired drivers circulate endlessly at 10 mph on the oval, creating a two-way traffic situation. This involves exiting a T junction and merging into flowing traffic without disrupting the traffic. Proudly completing 14 laps in Area A LUX achieved 2nd place in the contest to complete the most laps and was able to secure this place to the end. The most number of laps completed was 16. In the second run in Area A the "mission" for LUX was apparently completed after two error-free laps. Unfortunately a software error convinced the team that the drive or mission was completed in compliance with the rules.
The first run in Area C also created some excitement. The Area exercises the four-way stop behaviour of the cars - they are supposed to perform like human drivers, obeying the "order of precedence" as to who goes first. Only 2 minutes before the start Volker Willhoeft reassured his team colleagues: "This has always been its strength, there is no reason to be nervous here." To the surprise of the members of the team, every second time he arrived at the same crossing he drove over the crossing without again checking the traffic. The error analysis however revealed a software error which was fortunately resolved after 20 minutes. As if with a little wink of an eye LUX then showed us with its second run in Area C that its reputation as the number one for junctions is not for nothing. He completed all of his missions with flying colours.
LUX's first run in Area B went superbly. The area was run on part of the actual race course. The cars meander through a residential neighbourhood - it was on the old George Air Force Base, with extensive (but now dilapidated) housing for officers and their families. Here, DARPA cars were parked on the curb, other cars are moving about or stopped in the road, and the road is blocked at times. Alongside this parking between 2 cars and navigating with deliberately bad GPS data were a real challenge. LUX coped almost perfectly with these tasks and drove apparently unperturbed until the course's last waypoint. Then the engine inexplicably switched off. The team was unfortunately powerless to intervene and the run was not able to be completed. The 2nd run in Area B was particularly unfortunate for Team-LUX. LUX handled its parking task to complete satisfaction this time too. The fact however that our engineers had not prepared it for such long "off-road" distances (without lane markings, boundaries or kerbs) led to LUX going in directions which were not intended. At one point it did a U-turn and consequently drove towards the car behind in which the Darpa Director Dr. Tether was sitting. Unfortunately he knew nothing about first rule of LUX, never hurt anyone or yourself, and stopped the car when it was approximately 3m away from him. The implemented automatic emergency braking system would have stopped LUX at least 1m before his car, in any event at such a low speed shortly after a U-turn. It would have overtaken Dr. Tether's car completely in accordance with the rules.
Incidents of this kind ultimately led to Team-LUX not qualifying for the final. On the 1st November there was initially disappointment. 4 engineers worked towards this big event for 1 year and then the dream suddenly seems over so close to the final. The last team to be knocked out of the NQE. Fortunately the feeling did not last long. Proud and happy to have got so far with such a small team in only one year, sporting spirit will from now on be to the fore. It was now time to keep our fingers crossed above all for the remaining finalists with Ibeo sensors. 13 of the semi finalists and 6 of the 11 teams in the final used Ibeo technology in the race. It is therefore not surprising that all 3 teams on the winners' podium were "Ibeo laser teams". First place was taken by Team Tartan Racing (2 Ibeo sensors), 2nd was Stanford Racing Team (2 Ibeo sensors) and 3rd Victor Tango (3 Ibeo sensors). There is therefore no reason to be sad.
The sincere respect from other teams for the system integration into a "normal" car was especially encouraging and surprising for Team-LUX. Many could hardly believe that our team made it this far with 3 ibeo laser scanners alone and only 2 computers for data processing. LUX was the car that bridged the gap between the Science-Fiction vision and today's reality of autonomous driving. The performance of the compact and completely integrated prototype sensor ibeo LUX was convincing throughout the Darpa Urban Challenge. "During the whole preparation period to now there have been no problems with our sensors whatsoever," according to Holger Salow, Technical Project Manager. From autumn 2008, the ibeo LUX laser scanner will go into full production to make driving safer even today. Driver Assistance Systems will be easier to realise and step into the future with this technology.
| |
