darpa urban challenge

11.23.09

Laser-Enabled Wheelchair Autonomously Navigates City

By Stuart Fox Posted 11.10.2009 at 1:59 pm 1 Comment

LIDAR View Of The City : via Physorg

For the blind and the physically disabled, moving about a busy urban environment alone presents a constant challenge. For the unlucky few who are both blind and disabled, or for those too impaired to look around while operating a wheelchair, that challenge becomes nearly insurmountable. But now a new "smart" wheelchair may allow those without sight or mobility to traverse a bustling city street.

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READ MORE ABOUT > alt vehicles, blind, blindness, darpa urban challenge, disabilities, lasers, lidar, urban environment, wheelchairs

Overachievers We Love

An autonomous dump truck, a cheaper maglev train and a globe-trotting solar-powered car

By Danny Freedman Posted 12.08.2008 at 4:55 pm 3 Comments

Popular Science celebrates the eternal human urge to go bigger! Better! Farther! Inside, a look at three vehicles with the need to exceed.

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READ MORE ABOUT > alt vehicles, bigger better farther, darpa urban challenge, December 2008, maglev, prototypes, solar power

Robot Chauffeur

PopSci test-drives the wholly autonomous Chevy Boss. Check out the video, and see if you can resist the urge to grab at the wheel

By Sean Captain Posted 01.16.2008 at 2:15 am 6 Comments

Chevy Boss DARPA: Courtesy tartanracing.org

Too busy to drive? Let the car take the wheel. PopSci recently went for a ride in the Chevy Boss, winner of the 2007 Darpa Urban Challenge. With tricked-out GPS, sonar, laser guidance and a stack of computers, this 2007 Chevy Tahoe SUV can navigate an urban setting, weave around obstacles, and even negotiate intersections with other cars. GM expects the technology to be affordable, and less obtrusive, in about a decade.

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READ MORE ABOUT > CES, ces 2008, chevy tahoe, darpa, darpa urban challenge, robot, Sean Captain, Video