In another step along the road to recovery after Hurricane Katrina, I met Friday with Lee Pryor with the Louisiana Technology Council to discuss leasing business space at the Louisiana Technology Council Center in New Orleans. At the end of our meeting, Lee invited me to attend a demonstration of the Kat-5, a vehicle that had participated in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge this past October. I accepted Lee's offer and had a fascinating look at the future of transportation.
The 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge was the second race sponsored by DARPA (the US Department of Defense's central research and development organization) to accelerate research and development on robotic ground vehicles. Ultimately, the goal of the race was to identify the processes and technologies needed so that US military vehicles on the battlefields of 2015 can drive themselves without need for human intervention. Of over 100 entrants, the Kat-5 was one of just 4 that finished the race within DARPA's specifications.
The story of the Kat-5 is so incredible, it just begs to be turned into a movie. Developed at the last minute on a whim by the owners of a small casualty insurance company located in a New Orleans suburb, the Kat-5 was created by a dedicated team of 4 and with $650,000 in backing. Team members used raw ingeniuty to beat out huge teams from prestigious universities that had years of robotics experience and millions of dollars at their disposal.
The Kat-5 was so successful that it only varied 1 1/2 inches from the route over the entire 130+ mile course. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina interrupted testing of the vehicle, leaving insufficient time to optimize the software that controlled the vehicle. As a result, Kat-5 finished 30 minutes behind the winner; however, considering that only 5 cars succeeded in driving the whole course, that's quite an accomplishment.
Watching Kat-5 navigate obstacles by itself in a parking lot, two ideas came to mind. First, I was witnessing science fiction becoming science fact. Second, when my infant daughter is old enough to drive, I won't have to worry about her driving skills the way my parents worried about mine.
Photos of Kat-5 at the 2005 Grand Challenge
Video of the Kat-5 in action on the Challenge course (.wmv format)
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This truly is a great story about creativity and endurance. I am so proud of the New Orleans team that finished the DARPA challenge. It would indeed make a great movie. In light of Hurrican Katrina, it is amazing that a team could come together.
I was born and raised in New Orleans but now live in Lafayette, LA. My brother has created a product called iBikeMount nano that attaches an iPod nano to the handlebars of bicycles. If you would be interested in reviewing this product you can contact my brother at dan@stratasystems.com or learn more about this product at www.ibikemount.com I am selling this product on my website at www.macfriends.com. If you would like to interview my brother for your blog, I'm sure he would welcome the opportunity. He is currently living in Austin, TX. Thank you for your consideration.
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