Autonomy
TORC Robotics to Tackle High-Speed Autonomous Vehicle Navigation Challenges
Cross-Platform Software and Sensor Payload to Enable Autonomous Vehicle Operations up to 100 KPH
BLACKSBURG, VA (January 17, 2012) – TORC Robotics has been subcontracted through the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) to develop an advanced sensor fusion system for the Department of Defense that will significantly increase high-speed obstacle detection range. This long-range obstacle detection, classification and prediction system will enhance autonomous navigation capabilities for unmanned ground vehicles operating in mission-relevant environments at speeds up to 100 KPH. The system will be capable of detecting and maintaining a variety of tracking statistics for each obstacle. TORC will incorporate these enhanced capabilities with its core autonomy framework for future availability in its AutonoNav™ product line.
To support integration with the project sponsor’s autonomy framework, TORC will develop an Application Programming Interface (API) for the advanced sensor fusion software, and build a hardware prototype capable of installation on a range of vehicles including the HMMWV and LMTV. The system fuses asynchronous and heterogeneous sensor modalities through a joint probabilistic data association approach to reduce false positive/negative data, which is essential to high-speed autonomous navigation. TORC will achieve long-range detection and classification through a combination of commercial-off-the-shelf LIDAR, radar and vision technologies from Ibeo, Velodyne, and Smartmicro. TORC will assess sensor and fusion performance at high-speed under a variety of man-made weather conditions to include rain, dense fog and snow at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) Smart Road.
“Despite recent deployments of full-sized autonomous vehicles for operational assessments in Afghanistan, most are still quite limited in their ability to operate autonomously and at high speed outside of their pre-planned scenarios,” states Andrew Culhane, Business Development Manager at TORC. “The reality is that military UGVs need to be able to operate autonomously within complex mission environments while keeping pace with the force. In order for that to happen, UGV perception technology must be capable of detecting, classifying and predicting obstacles at longer ranges while moving at operational speeds.”
TORC will leverage software initially conceptualized under a DARPA SBIR now under further research on the RTC Sensor-based Collision Prediction project. This project provides the software architecture and obstacle prediction capabilities that TORC will extend to meet the requirements for this project. The primary research platform for this project is the ByWire XGV™, a drive-by-wire controlled ground robotics vehicle.
TORC will demonstrate the new long-range obstacle detection, classification and prediction capabilities in 2012. Results of this work should open up new possibilities for deploying autonomous vehicles for missions that demand navigating at higher speeds in unstructured environments. For more information, visit TORC Robotics online or contact Andrew Culhane at 1-540-443-9262.
ABOUT TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. Leading academic, commercial and government organizations use the TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks™ product line to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.
TORC, TORC Robotics, Robotic Building Blocks, AutonoNav and ByWire XGV are trademarks of TORC.
TORC Awarded DARPA Contract for Autonomous Path Planning
DARPA contract for the development of new path planning algorithms for dynamic and unstructured environments.
Blacksburg, VA – May 18, 2009 – TORC Technologies (www.torctech.com) announced today that it was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to research and develop new path planning algorithms for use in dynamic and unstructured environments. Leveraging their existing experience in developing autonomous vehicle solutions, TORC will develop new autonomous path planning technology that increases the capability and reliability of autonomous vehicles.
As the United States Military works towards the goal of having one-third of its vehicles unmanned by 2015, autonomous vehicles will be called upon to operate in increasingly dangerous and dynamic situations. It is important that the algorithms for these vehicles be able to adapt accordingly. TORC hopes to build upon its proven experience in the DARPA Urban Challenge to develop and demonstrate the next generation of autonomous algorithms.
In Phase I of the contract TORC will design a new path planning algorithm to navigate through dynamic, GPS denied environments. Subsequently, TORC will perform a feasibility study using simulated models of the environment. If successful, a proof of principal prototype could be built under Phase II.
About TORC Technologies
TORC Technologies is a robotics engineering and product development company focused on unmanned and autonomous systems. TORC is automating dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks by commercializing intelligent robotic technologies into modular, interoperable, off-the-shelf products that enable customers to rapidly integrate and deploy robotic-based solutions.
Media Contact:
David Cutter, Marketing Manager
cutter@torctech.com
TORC Technologies
540-443-9262 x 4256
TORC Transferring Autonomous Vehicle Technologies to Caterpillar’s Autonomous Haulage System
TORC is working with Caterpillar Inc. to transfer autonomous vehicle technologies for autonomous mining development programs.
Blacksburg, VA – November 14, 2008 – TORC Technologies (www.torctech.com) recently announced that it is providing advanced autonomous vehicle technologies to Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) as part of their autonomous haulage system development program. TORC is excited to be a part of this program as the industry leader in mining equipment aligns with leading experts in autonomous systems development.
Caterpillar will integrate autonomous vehicle technologies with the company’s existing mining trucks. They plan to have autonomous haulage trucks at select mine sites by 2010.
Building on the success and support Caterpillar provided to team VictorTango’s entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge, TORC Technologies is transferring elements of its autonomous vehicle technologies to Caterpillar’s Autonomous Haulage System.
This marks another significant milestone for TORC as it continues to penetrate new markets and diversify the applications of its technology. TORC is committed to enabling customers to rapidly integrate and deploy robotic-based solutions.
About TORC Technologies, LLC
TORC Technologies is automating dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks by commercializing intelligent robotic technologies into interoperable off-the-shelf products, providing the essential building blocks for rapidly enabling autonomy on virtually any platform. The TORC product line offers an integrated set of functionalities necessary for implementing varying levels of autonomous operation. From teleoperation to autonomy, the modular solutions from TORC can increase your speed to market while reducing risks and development costs.
Media Contact:
David Cutter, Marketing Manager
cutter@torctech.com
TORC Technologies, LLC
540-443-9262 x 4256
TORC Applying Autonomous Vehicle Technologies to the Mining and Construction Industries
TORC is working with Caterpillar Inc. to research the application of advanced autonomous vehicle technologies for future applications in mining and construction.
Blacksburg, VA – June 12, 2008 – TORC Technologies (www.torctech.com) is researching the application of advanced autonomous vehicle technologies with Caterpillar Inc. for future applications in mining and construction. Autonomous technologies have great potential to increase productivity and efficiency in both the mining and construction industries.
As a member of Team VictorTango, TORC was the lead software developer for “Odin,” the fully autonomous Ford Escape Hybrid that finished third in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, navigating approximately 60 miles of urban traffic situations in just under four and half hours. TORC is commercializing similar autonomous packages for use in different industry applications. At this time, TORC is performing research activities with Caterpillar Inc. on applying the autonomous vehicle technologies proven successful in the DARPA Urban Challenge.
Building on the success and support Caterpillar provided to team VictorTango’s entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge, TORC and Caterpillar research team are collaborating to transfer autonomous vehicle technologies to Caterpillar’s future applications in mining and construction.
About TORC Technologies
TORC Technologies is automating dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks by commercializing intelligent robotic technologies into interoperable off-the-shelf products, providing the essential building blocks for rapidly enabling autonomy on virtually any platform. The TORC product line offers an integrated set of functionalities necessary for implementing varying levels of autonomous operation. From teleoperation to autonomy, the modular solutions from TORC can increase your speed to market while reducing risks and development costs.
Media Contact:
David Cutter, Marketing Manager
cutter@torctech.com
TORC Technologies, LLC
540-443-9262 x 4256
TORC & Virginia Tech Finish 3rd in 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
On November 3rd, 2007, Team VictorTango’s race vehicle Odin, successfully completed the 60 mile DARPA Urban Challenge. Originally slated for the second pole position, Odin was first out of the gates at 8:04 am. Odin ramped up his speed to 25 miles per hour while rounding the traffic circle and disappeared into the morning mist of the California desert. Four hours and thirty six minutes later, Odin returned safely, 26 minutes behind the winner. During the race, Odin encountered four-way intersections, where he yielded to manned and unmanned traffic. Odin merged onto busy city streets avoiding traffic drivers trying to confuse him and other robots that often forgot to follow California highway rules.
At times, the DARPA provided mission file sent him to areas where he was called him to park in a specific parking place, demonstrating a simulated military re-supply mission. In the end, Odin’s courteous and calculated nature helped to hold off any fender benders. After a long day in traffic, Odin and Team VictorTango were awarded 3rd place in the competition. As one of only three robots to finish under the DARPA imposed time limit, Odin’s journey was fraught with peril. Many of the competitors were pulled from the course due to collisions with other robots and buildings. The completion of the course marks a huge success for TORC Technologies (TORC) and Virginia Tech Unmanned Systems, which allowed them to display the incredible advances that have been made in autonomous vehicle technology. The success in the challenge was the crowning achievement of thousands of hours of research and development spent in the lab, in the simulator, and on the road.
Odin, the competition vehicle, was based on a Ford Escape Hybrid donated by Ford Motor Company. TORC served as lead software architect and developer for the team. The modular software architecture utilized the SAE AS-4 JAUS (Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems) standard for inter-process communication. JAUS promoted interoperability between systems and increased the efficiency of system development, testing, data logging, and playback. Using a simulation environment tailored for urban ground vehicle navigation, TORC was able to develop and debug software, safely test autonomous behaviors and verify interactions with sensors and the environment. Prior to the Urban Challenge Race, Team VictorTango had navigated similar courses and environments thousands of times in the simulator. This approach significantly improved overall robustness of the software. New behaviors and algorithms were proven well before they hit the street with real vehicles and live drivers.
Due to the inherent need for improved safety in unmanned grounds systems and the specialized needs of large vehicles preparing for the DARPA Urban Challenge, TORC developed the SafeStop™ Wireless Emergency Stop System. The SafeStop™ was utilized by several teams during site visit and qualification. Based on technology inspired by efforts on the Urban Challenge, TORC also commercialized several JAUS-interoperable products such as the ByWire™ Drive-by-Wire Conversion Module, AutonoNav™ Autonomous Navigation Controller, and InterOp™ Collaborative Online JAUS Integration Environment. These products serve to provide vehicle-independent, JAUS-interoperable, autonomous solutions. The combination of these TORC products allows for complete autonomous vehicle solutions, autonomy and safety, as well as simulated environment to develop and evaluate algorithms.
TORC Technologies, LLC is an applied research company focusing on improving our quality of life by automating dull, dirty, and dangerous work through modular and interoperable robotic technologies. TORC employs mechanical, electrical, and software engineers and provides turn-key robotic solutions to system integrators. TORC is located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.