Indy Robot Racing Team Opportunity

[eugenebrooks]

The broadcast email message below was recently circulated.
It would seem to offer an opportunity to become involved in
a robotics activity in Indiana. I have no connection to this,
so I can't offer further help with contacts, but give the web page
and email address below a try if you are local and interested.

>>>>>>>>>>


I am sending you this message because I need your help. The Indy Robot Racing Team still needs volunteers to help with the development, optimization, tuning, and testing of its fully-autonomous vehicle.$@# (If you can't volunteer yourself or you are already on the team, PLEASE consider forwarding this message to people you know who might be interested. OR, if you have interest in sponsoring the team's efforts, please email me directly).



The DARPA Grand Challenge is a race across the desert by autonomous (NO human interaction and NO remote control) vehicles for a prize of $2,000,000. See <http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/>http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/ and google to learn about the contest. The real prize though is considerably larger because "winning" changes our ideas about what an automobile is. The commercial opportunities are mind-boggling: lawn-mowing, snow removal, hazardous material transport, farming, street cleaning, military transport, and ultimately an automatically chauffeured vehicle for the elderly, the handicapped, and everyone else too.



We made the first two cuts. The 40 semi-finalists were announced recently (out of a field of about 200 entrants!). The Indy Robot Racing Team and 39 other teams will be heading to the National Qualification Event at the California Speedway in Fontana, CA, September 27 to October 5, 2005 where only 20 of the teams will be selected for the Grand Challenge event.



Our vehicle works, but there are still many incomplete subsystems that we want to design, build, and thoroughly test before September. $@#We know what needs to be done, but we don't have all the manpower required. We need additional help.



Visit the website, <http://www.indyrobotracing.com/>http://www.IndyRobotRacing.com, for an overview of the project and <http://www.indyrobotracing.com/application/>http://www.indyrobotracing.com/application/ to sign up to help with software, hardware, testing, marketing, photography, mapping, researching technologies on the web, gathering sponsorships, etc...



Given the time pressures and the dangers of adding people in the middle of a project, we prefer folks who have specific domain knowledge, unbridled enthusiasm, a willingness to put in long hours, and a passion to win a race that has never been completed in the history of mankind.



As most of what remains to be done is system refinement, system integration, optimization, and testing on the live vehicle, we need people who can spend substantial time in our development laboratory, which is located in Carmel, Indiana.



The pay is poor (volunteer effort) and the hours are long, but it does come with some equity in our company and, perhaps most importantly, substantial bragging rights if the Indy Robot Racing Team makes a credible showing.



Interested? Contact teamleader@IndyRobotRacing.com for more information or fill out the application on our website.

[Kyle Love]

Sounds very interesting.....Is there an age limit to how young you can be? (I was looking around their site and it looks like all the people are 25+).

[Ben Lauer]

Very interesting to note that they had the same compitition last year, and the team that made it the farthest went only a mere 7.4 miles out of the required 175 and ended after being stuck on a beam.

It will be interesting to follow up on this compitition. Last year no award was given so the prize was doubled for 2005.

[Andy Baker]

Stu Bloom just joined this team a couple of weeks ago. Also, the lead engineer with this team was the lead engineer on a FIRST team in Indianapolis a few years ago.

Andy B.

[dubious elise]

That is amazing, congratulations to the Indy Robot Racing Team on being selected for the National Qualifiers for DARPA! That competition is fierce and incredibly difficult. I'm glad and quite impressed to see that someone in Indiana is turning to FIRST mentors for assistance, they certainly picked the right place to turn

[Stu Bloom]

For those of you who can get the morning Bob & Tom radio broadcast, Scott Jones, the team leader (AND likely a significant FIRST supporter in the near future) will be a guest on the show around 9:00am tomorrow (Friday ... ok - today) talking about IRV (Indiana's Robotic Vehicle) and the Indy Robot Racing Team (www.indyrobotracing.com). SORRY FOR THE LAST MINUTE NOTICE.

Note the broadcast is available off-air, or streaming (visit www.bobandtom.com)

[Andy Baker]

There are some great video clips on this team's site. Good luck to Scott, Doug, Stu and the entire team for their autonomous trek on Oct. 8th. I'll be rooting for IRV, that is for sure.

Andy B.

[Stu Bloom]

Thanks Andy!

Actually the "race" is on October 8th. AND we still have to pass a qualifying event in California the week of September 27 where 1/2 of the remaining 40 participants will be cut . IRV and his pit crew are out west now going thru some final testing and tweaking. Unfortunately I don't think there are any live broadcasts/updates planned during the race - if anyone knows otherwise please post info ...

I'll provide updates as I receive additional information.

[Budster]

Really slick. CMU/Team Red seemed to be the team to beat last time. I thought they went the furthest in 2004 but disabled their hummer as it approached too close to a cliff? Still only a short distance of total course was traversed last year. Can't wait for webcast of finals next thursday. I remember some spectacular crashes at outset last time. A bummer to see, but interesting just the same.

Team Red's site has some pics of their recent wipe out on their hummer vehicle from last week - talk about your rebuild sessions! They have two vehicles in this years challenge the military hummer from last year and an H1. They also lost some of their visual sensors this year because of a low hanging branch - not programmed for because their aren't any on the real course. http://www.redteamracing.org/

But my favorite has to be Team Blue's motocycle - check out their vids of their robotic vehicle doing jumps or swimming! oops. http://www.ghostriderrobot.com/
Its about the size of a Yamaha PW80! (small cycle for kids). Gutsy.

Lots of interesting details on many of the team sites all available off of the main site: http://www.grandchallenge.org/.

Over 195 teams applied this year. 118 teams were selected for on-site visits by DARPA after reviewing submitted video from each team. Each team had to go through a standard course at the on-site with randomly added trash cans for obstacles - 40 teams were invited and another 20 alternates selected. The alternates got another on-site visit and three; Princeton University, Austin Robot Technology, and Team Underdawg were added to the 40 semifinalists. After the NQE which is on-going at this moment, 20 will advance and complete next thursday for the $2 million prize authorized by congress.

Now if I could only get our 'bot to run autonomous just for 15 seconds and do something useful!

Bud