Robots & the Route 66 of the Future

Tony HirstComputing and Communications Dept.

The Open University

Autonomous Vehicles and Robot Cars

US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge

2004 - driverless vehicle

- 150 mile test route, without human intervention

The best performing vehicle managed to travel less than eight miles…

DARPA Challenge Redux…O

ctob

er, 2

005

- 132 mile test route- off-road

Five driverless vehicles completed the route successfully…

DARPA Challenge Part III…N

ovem

ber,

2007

- 60 mile course- urban road conditions- California state driving laws

Vehicles from six teams completed the course within the six hour time limit…

Into the wild…20

10 - Google self-driving car project

Into the wild…To

day

- Increasing numbers of US states passing laws allowing the testing of autonomous vehicles

Robot or not?

Robotic Car Parks & Dark Warehouses

Puzz

ling

Stor

age

Mob

ile s

helv

ing…

Is the future of logistics

robotic?

Mor

e on

Ope

nLea

rn