GM building driverless car with Carnegie Mellon

Posted Thu Jun 19 2008 2:38 PM by Nelson Ireson

Cars that navigate complex terrain or urban environments have already been built for competitions like the DARPA's (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) various challenges. In fact, GM and Carnegie Mellon won the Urban challenge in 2007. Now the two are teaming to bring that technology to the street.

The project is as five-year, $5 million tie-up that will focus on developing the technology that won the DARPA challenge into the sort of equipment that would enable a future autonomous vehicle. Carnegie Mellon professor Raj Rajkumar thinks driverless cars will revolutionize the way we think about transport.

“Autonomous vehicles will change the face of transportation by reducing deaths and injuries from automobile accidents and increasing the convenience and comfort of vehicles,” he said.

While $5 million and only five years may seem a bit on the paltry side for such an ambitious project, the GM/Carnegie team have already developed the fundamental basis of much of the technology required. Now the work will be in making it robust, simple, small and commercially viable.

The intelligence of the system is already remarkable, with the Urban Challenge-winning autonomous Chevrolet Tahoe navigating over 55 miles of complex urban and suburban roads on its own, beating the competition from Stanford/Volkswagen by 20 minutes.

Reader Comments

Thu Jun 19 2008 3:50 PM
Gus says

I swear, Raj Raj and all of the other super educated Indians proliferating the world's laboratories are going to figure out everything we need in the next few years: self-sustaining fusion, room temperature superconductivity, quick charging batteries, everything.
Just saw a show on India's middle class becoming 300 million to 500 million strong soon. Amazing country, and yet so many problems to solve as well. Almost like America back in the old days, but with so much more speed and so many more people. Hope we can keep up, at least they like Americans in general...
Thu Jun 19 2008 4:38 PM
CW says

I think this has a big possibility of giving the elderly who cannot drive anymore some freedom in their golden years. Could it be the end of DUI's, would states allow them because of the revenue they would lose to less DUI's? Interesting ramifications all around.
Thu Jun 19 2008 5:22 PM
Gus says

I think eventually it will become "inevitable technology" like airbags, etc.
I would welcome a car that took over on freeways, maintained distances to reduce or eliminate traffic jams, and then let me take over again when the side roads began.

I'm sure we'll see specialized lanes like this appearing in the next 10-20 years.
Fri Jun 20 2008 8:59 AM
burke says

CW: I agree, drink and drive would not be a problem anymore. It would take a timely programming of your GPS, and that's it! ;-)
Fri Jun 20 2008 9:04 AM
burke says

BTW I also think it will reduce traffic jams, stress driving, aggressive driving and consequent accidents at any time especially peak-hours...

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