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Thread: Robotic VX to compete again!

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  1. #1
    Member Since
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    1999 White Ironman 1348
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    Picture of roof rack

    Sorry for the late reply... I've uploaded a picture to the gallery, click here .

    The picture shows how we mount sensors onto our robotic VX (Ironman Edition). We bolted a specially laminated sensor board, a.k.a. an old formica table-top :-) to the roof rack, then bolt the sensors to the formica tabletop... errrr sensor board. The blue "snorkel" is used to route wires from the sensors to the inside of the vehicle (the side window is replaced with a transparent acrylic panel and the snorkel is attached with a seal to the panel). The big sensor on the roof is a 200 pound rotating laser. It has 64 lasers that each capture over 4,000 points 360 degrees around the car, 20 times per second (a 5 milion point cloud per second). It was built by another team for last year's competition, we tested it. They are selling a much smaller and lighter version of it now as a product... price tag is $75K.

    Although it would be a lot of work, we could actually restore the VX to its original condition. We had a couple of scrapes in last years qualifying event, you'd have to look closely to notice them.

  2. #2
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    Thumbs up Robotic VX ready to compete

    Competition starts tomorrow... our robotic VX is one of 35 vehicles ready to take on DARPA's Urban Challenge:

    http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34546/113/
    http://www.austinrobot.com
    http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge

    Hopefully it won't be a demolition derby

  3. #3
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    2001,Kaiser Silver, VX, 0563
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    awesome good luck man! ill be rootin for ya


    "Engineers believe if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet"

  4. #4
    Member Since
    Jun 2002
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    1999, Ebony, VX, #1679
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    Thanks for the update.
    Good luck in the urban setting.
    Be sure to let us know how it goes...












    ...And of course PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!!!!!!!
    Billy Oliver
    15xIronman
    My Sponsors:
    Accelerate3Coaching
    TriSports.com (PM me for 1 time use 20% off code)

  5. #5
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    Thumbs up Robot VX

    Front page of the Dallas Morning News- Pictures and two page story-named Marvin from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Chi Dog...Dog is my Co-pilot
    Onward thru the fog
    Leave it BETTER than you found it!

  6. #6
    Member Since
    Jun 2005
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    2001 Black VX
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  7. #7
    Member Since
    Jun 2002
    Location
    1999, Ebony, VX, #1679
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    And a little VIDEO
    There are a bunch of pics I took of the VX on this site if you do a search. Pics of the exterior and interior modifications (these are from its 1st incarnation...it has been updated since) which I took when I met up with them as they roled through Tucson after their last DARPA competition. Great bunch of guys and an impressive amount of time and engineering.

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