Quote:
Originally posted by JasonStern
I think some of you are missing the point. While you could technically convert a 4x4 to an autonomous device, why would you? anything meant to be driven by humans will be big, will have safety devices which aren't needed, and will have wasted space. Look at nasa. when they want to design a moon rover, they don't convert a commercial vehicale! Nor do firsters take an RC car, swap out some parts and call it a robot.
If you truely plan on doing this (which I think is great, but i'm on the wrong coast), then use a bottom up aproach. maybe not from scratch, but dont just modify someone else's creation. Be creative, dare to use your imagination and think outside the box. small example: lots of ppl suggest putting a large gas tank on the 'bot so it has all the fuel it needs, with no stopping. problem with that is it adds weight, which lowers efficaincy, which in turn requires more gas. if you are allowed to refuel, take advantage of it. it isn't hard to build a homing beacon and put it at the checkpoint (legal, according to the rules). have the bot dock, swap fuel cells/batteries/fill up/whatever and go on its merry way!
Also, combustable materials in purely autonomous vechiles is not such a hot idea. pretend the purpose of the bot is to scout out potentialy hostile territory and take that into consideration. anything that can explode is bad!
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Exactly my point. Although, comparing the weight with the amount of energy you will get out of gasoline, it is by far the best fuel source available. I do see where you are coming from, but until other fuel sources have comparable energy densities, there really isn't much other choice. Gas weighs 6.1lbs per gallon. A heavily optimized 2-3 cylinder piston or rotary engine will average 50mpg easily. You'll only need 8 gallons of gas, which is 40lbs. The weight is good anyways, because if the vehicle is too light you won't maintain traction in turns.
The reason why it's better to build something from the ground-up, other than the above, is because then there is less that you have to worry about in the programming. Most SUV's/Trucks have an extremely high center of gravity, and they will tip when taking a sharp turn at 40 MPH, removing you from the competition. Sure, you could use tilt sensors to detect how much centripetal force is being exerted on the vehicle, but then all the more you have to worry about in slowing the vehicle down and such. Remember, that this is a race. Only the fastest vehicle gets the prize. A vehicle with a lower center of gravity will navigate much easier.