Comments on: DARPA race pushes robotics forward

The Urban Challenge's competitive drama seeds the idea in people's minds that self-driving cars are possible.
Photos: DARPA Challenge

[SkinnerAZ]

How you solve it is more important

After watching it and listening to how people approached the problem, it's great to see the diversity of solutions. Problem I see is you have MIT doing something SO ridiculous with having a super computer with its own gen-set and air conditioner for the cluster computer (40 cores), getting SPANKED by Stanford running TWO PC's (1-Q6600/box) in Junior. Even though I'm no fan of Stanford, it's absolutely refreshing to see an *elegant* solution doing well in this environment as that is what is really needed. I don't think anyone wants to fill up for both a gen-set and the engine at the pump...

[FOG9]

Pump this up

I can't believe this wasn't "live" on Discovery or PBS or (somebody
wanting innovative programing) ... I watched the video stream and
found it to be compelling, informative entertainment!
With an entry from Germany, I also wondered why there wasn't an
entry from Japan?

[Manhattan2]

Our group is using 4D logic to make real world products

While these games can foster innovation there is already a team of engineers creating products using gpsimaging, location markers and a seeingaid that will revolutionize location based services and navigation.

[compurgator]

Remember: DARPA=Poindexter

Please, please, please tell me that at least some of you remember John Poindexter (he still likes to have himself called, "Admiral," notwithstanding his having fallen so badly from grace with Ollie North, when they both lied before Congress after the Iran-Contra screw-up that was his last tour-de force). DARPA: the spooky little closet program funded by Bush 41 that runs weird programs (in the name of "science") like the use of parasitic worms carrying radio transmitters to monitor the whereabouts of those who eat hot dogs; throwing pianos out of tune so as to make obsessive piano players paralyzed with anxiety; and painting replicas of The Golden Gate Bridge on the side of a mountain near The Bay, causing mariners to run aground and then fall into clinical depression because of their guilt. That's Poindexter. That's DARPA. Go ahead. Participate. Encourage him. He'll be under your bed, soon enough.

[sheldonc]

DARPA....

has been around a lot longer than Dubya. It was started as a
response to Sputnik's launch in 1958.

Sure it's dome a number of odd kinds of things in the past, but it's
created some pretty cool things, like, for instance, the Internet.

Poindexter is a dirty footnote in DARPA's history.

[mzaug]

Urban

The Carnegie Mellon University and others taking part in the DARPA Urban Challenge, signal first attempts at filling a one hundred year old gap in the automobile driving. The current car industry?s computer ?achievements?, such as decapitating, self operating windows, inaccessible doors, the tire pressure checks without regulating it, are no more than promotional gimmicks. None of these contribute to the relief and provide assistance for the, as my cousin Douglas B. a New England gas station operator termed, ?A nut behind the steering wheel?. The poor sop still has to continuously strain eyes to see the road and lurking dangers on and off it, often in hidden and masked by the rain, snow slippery surface, poorly lit by crude headlights. As a hundred years ago, the driver must mentally and manually coordinate and time the movement of his hands, legs and eyes. The only change is in the road congestion, high speeds, and a blossoming road rage.
M. Z. Augustyniak, Architect Nov.6, 07