THE DARPA CHALLENGE

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense (DoD). As described on the DARPA website, “DARPA's mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military [by funding] high-risk, high-reward research and development projects that will benefit U.S. national security.”

DARPA Grand Challenge
Created in response to a Congressional and DoD mandate, DARPA's Grand Challenge was a field test intended to accelerate research and development in autonomous ground vehicles that will help save American lives on the battlefield. The Grand Challenge brought together individuals and organizations from industry, the R&D community, government, the armed services, academia, students, backyard inventors, and automotive enthusiasts in the pursuit of a technological challenge.

The First Grand Challenge: Across the Mojave
The 2004 Grand Challenge field test of autonomous ground vehicles ran from Barstow, California to Primm, Nevada and offered a $1 million prize. From the qualifying round at the California Speedway, 15 finalists emerged to attempt the Grand Challenge. However, the prize went unclaimed as no vehicles were able to complete the difficult desert route.

The Second Grand Challenge
On October 8, 2005, GrayMatter’s AVS™ made history, proving itself in the largest and most grueling robotics competition in history, the DARPA 2005 Grand Challenge. Kat-5, driven by AVS™, was one of only four vehicles out of 195 to complete the Challenge. GrayMatter’s system has been proven at a racing pace across 132 miles of unforgiving terrain. Experiences like this have helped GrayMatter mold AVS™ into the most complete autonomous driving system available.

The Urban Challenge
The next DARPA event, the Urban Challenge, occurred on November 3, 2007, in an urban environment, presenting the competitors with all of the challenges associated with city driving. At the DARPA National Qualifying Event, GrayMatter 's vehicle, Plan B, performed as designed and was among the fastest vehicles while remaining within its programmed safety limits at all times.  Due to unusual radio frequency interference that prevented reception of GPS signals, Plan B was not able to complete the third qualifying event and was not eligible to participate in the finals.