Team-Leader Richard Bishop tells about the DARPA Site Visit Ibeo’s Team-LUX took off to the U.S. with their LUX car in early June to get ready for their site visit, which was held on a test track at Auburn University (Alabama) on June 29th. The chief DARPA official handed them a flash drive with GPS waypoints, which we were required to load into the LUX’ computer in under five minutes. The car’s PC cooperated, and the data was in. Mission One: take one circuit of the track following the waypoints, so that DARPA could see if the vehicle was fundamentally functional. The LUX started up, stopped appropriately at the intersection, and proceeded forward along its route, stopping at the end point. Mission Two: Turn right at the intersection into a “stub road” in which the vehicle must determine the path forward is blocked, turn around, and go the long way around the course to another blocked point for a second turn-around. LUX did the first turn-around, proceeded through the intersection and then stopped to think before executing another turn-around.
In a next mission, stopped vehicles were placed in the lanes. LUX detected the vehicles, slowed to a stop, pointed slightly outward to check for oncoming traffic, and eased around the obstacle and back into the travel lane to complete the mission. Finally came the four-way stop with live traffic. DARPA had predefined six carefully choreographed scenarios. Perhaps the most challenging scenario was two cars at the same point on the intersection when LUX arrived. The first car proceeded through the intersection, with the second car simultaneously moving up to wait at the stop line in typical fashion. LUX allowed the first car to pass, took a “look” at the second car but knew exactly its turn had come, and proceeded through the intersection like a model driver.
By this point, with everyone dripping in sweat and having swatted many a mosquito, the event was declared complete. LUX “drove instinctively” throughout its missions.
Find out more about Team-Lux at www.team-lux.com. | 
