Autonomous Driving

2007 DARPA Urban Challenge Participation

Collaborating with a team from Stanford University, the ERL competed in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge with a modified Volkswagen Passat named "Junior."

The contest required the competing cars to drive 60 miles without a driver on closed off suburban streets, in under 6 hours. The cars had to cross intersections, merge with moving traffic, park themselves and obey stop signs.

The ERL equipped Junior with all the necessary sensors, electronics and actuators to make the car computer controllable while the team at Stanford University concentrated on the development of the artificial intelligence software, the brain of the car. Junior ranked second among the initial 85 contestants and was one of the only 6 cars that crossed the finish line.

The ERL/Stanford collaboration had also proved successful two years earlier when the Volkswagen Touareg “Stanley” won the 2005 Grand Challenge, a race through 132 miles of desert without a driver.