Section 4. You will hear a tutor talking to a group of students about a project to build a driverless vehicle.
Hello everyone, I have an exciting announcement to make. The university has decided to enter an international competition next year, and we are going to need some enthusiastic undergraduates to help us with the project.
The competition is to make an automated vehicle, a kind of robot that will be able to move quickly and accurately on its own.
All the vehicles will then enter a race which will take place here in the US.
Man 00:43
So the engineering school will be collaborating with the computer science department and possibly the automotive design department, although that’s yet to be confirmed.
Man 00:54
What they have to do is try to design an automated vehicle which will be able to complete the course.
Man 01:01
To give you an idea of how tough this race is, one vehicle last year only managed 12 kilometers of the 280 kilometer stretch of California desert that forms the racetrack.
Man 01:16
The vehicles in the race must cover the whole distance without a human driver and quite autonomously identify and steer around corners and avoid unexpected hazards, things like rocks, for example.
Man 01:32
It’s a challenging task because there are lots of obstacles of this kind along the route. As I said in last year’s event, the most successful vehicle only drove 12 kilometers.
Man 01:46
Then its team decided to deactivate it because it had gotten too near a cliff.
Man 01:52
In the race held earlier this year, there still wasn’t a winner, but they did much better, and there was one design which we will be at.
Man 02:00
analyzing carefully in seminars. Its strength was in its on-board technology. That particular vehicle built a three-dimensional picture of its surroundings using video cameras and lasers.
Man 02:15
It was equipped with seven laptop computers, which analyzed the incoming information ten times a second, and it drove along at a comfortable 55 kilometers per hour.
Man 02:29
The design details have been published, so we hope to learn from them and go on to make ours even better for next year’s competition.
Man 02:39
The competition is open to all universities and there’s a prize of two million dollars for the winner, but it’s really about more than that.
Man 02:48
The sponsors are hoping to see innovative design ideas that they can transfer into commercial production. You’ll get a lot out of this project as well in terms of working as a team and broadening your knowledge of the subject.
Man 03:04
The key to winning is unlikely to be anything to do with what the vehicle looks like. Programming skills will decide who eventually wins first prize.
Man 03:14
The design will need technological expertise in this area above all, and that’s what the team who work on the project will need to focus on.
Man 03:24
I’ll be handing out some scientific reports about this year’s vehicle shortly.
Man 03:29
It’s interesting to read that even after months and months of planning, building, and trials, many of the teams were amazed that the vehicles did what they wanted them to do at all, because so many things can go wrong on the day.
Man 03:45
So, even though no vehicle actually completed the course, they were pleased they got as far as they did. Right. If any of you are interested, this is the plan of action. Keep an eye on the main notice board for details.
Man 04:05
Firstly, at the beginning of May, we’ll be scheduling a seminar to introduce the project to anyone who might be interested.
Man 04:13
Later in the month, we’ll be asking you to submit a short essay letting us know why you feel you should be chosen to take part in the project.
Man 04:22
You’ll need to tell us about any particular skills that you have, and can bring to the team, and any experience you may have had in the field. Then, in June, we’re organizing a trip to a factory to chat over some design considerations with specialists there who have kindly agreed to act as consultants throughout the project.
Man 04:45
Then, at the beginning of the next semester in September, we thought we’d hold a weekend workshop to share ideas and see computer-aided design demonstrations.
Man 04:55
We have a brand new package which sponsors have kindly financed.
Man 05:00
You’ll need to be able to use it with confidence before we start. In December, we’ll be asking you to submit your outline designs, and the following month, we’ll choose the team and start work in earnest.
Man 05:14
Okay, it sounds like a lot of fun, but it will also require serious commitment, so please think this through carefully. Some handouts are coming around now. Any questions?
