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Innovators Forum: DARPA Urban Challenge Autonomous Vehicle Development

Tuesday, March 13th, 2007

March's Innovators Forum will be held on March 19, 2007 from 5:30-7:00 in room 136 Monteith Research Center (formerly EGRC) on NCSU's Centennial Campus. Parking is available in the adjacent parking deck. This month's program will focus on automotive developments. A copy of the agenda is listed below and at web site.

DARPA Urban Challenge Autonomous Vehicle Development - Grayson Randall, Insight Technologies

Grayson Randall will discuss the challenges associated with autonomous vehicle development for the DARPA Urban Challenge. He will highlight the modifications to the NC State sponsored Lotus Elise, the "Lone Wolf" so that the Lone Wolf drives in city conditions including interaction with other moving vehicles, navigation of intersections, following speed limits, stopping at stop signs, and dynamically routing itself through the city, all without human intervention.

Grayson Randall is the founder of Insight Racing, a finalist in the 2005 Grand Challenge, and team leader for the 2007 Urban Challenge. He designed the Grand Challenge and Urban Challenge entries.

Advanced Vehicle Research - Dick Dell, Advanced Vehicle Research Center

Dick Dell is the Executive Director of the Advanced Vehicle Research Center. He will discuss the current joint Department of Energy projects that are now being completed by the AVRC and NC State University.

Dick Dell proposed the Advanced Vehicle Research Center to the state of North Carolina in 2001 and has developed the AVRC since that time. Dell is an avid car enthusiast and collector.

Automotive Innovations - Simon Cobb, Lotus Engineering

Simon Cobb will describe innovations in the automotive industry benefiting mankind and providing a reasonable return. He will discuss how regulation is used to "force" certain directions and how consumer demand drives a stronger and more sustainable business model. He will attempt to predict future innovations and how the transportation industry might look like in 25 years.

Simon Cobb is the Director of North Carolina Operations, Lotus Engineering Inc.

Please join us.

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