Terra Engineering Gallery

TerraHawk at NQE

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:00:02 -0400

TerraHawk before delivery and during tests at NQE

IMG 0046 THV2 steering right
IMG 0047 THV2 steering left
IMG 0053 THV2 showing active suspension
IMG 0063 THV2 active suspension
IMG 0073 night falls as NQE draws near
IMG 0078 THV2 being driven onto trailer for NQE trip
IMG 0081 THV2 unloaded at NQE garage
IMG 0088 Denny driving THV2 to NQE Opening
IMG 0094 THV2 as a bot among bots
IMG 0097 DARPA honchos open the contest
IMG 0120 Todd & Denny drive THV2 to inspection
IMG 0260 Denny setting up another run
IMG 0262 Denny looks up to see the world beyond the computer
IMG 0264 Todd readies THV2 for test
IMG 0307 Jim indicates a successful run
IMG 0397 THV2 at NQE start chute
IMG 0403 THV2 at NQE start
IMG 0404 THV2 & gate before state
IMG 0405 gate after THV2 encounter

TerraHawk various NQE photos & short videos

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:59:58 -0400

A few more photos and videos from NQE and shop

IMG 0311 Heading to practice run
IMG 0292 Denny after disconnecting for autonomous operation
IMG 0291 THV2 in practice run
IMG 0265 THV2 on FWY to NQE
IMG 0223 John splices 1 of 6 THV2 drive chains
IMG 0273 Assembled population of DGC 2005 vehicles
IMG 0227 Nav interface & fault mgmt computers & ladars

December - 2003

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:59:54 -0400

Getting TerraHawk together for the DARPA site visit in December 2003

TerraHawk 4x4 PC080125
TerraHawk (night before site visit)
TerraHawk with team
Todd on his soapbox
Working late (night before)
DCP01836
DCP01823
DCP01835
DCP01834
DCP01833
DCP01831
DCP01830
DCP01829
DCP01827
DCP01826
DCP01825
DCP01824

Qualification, Demonstration & Inspection - March 2004

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:59:33 -0400

QID - week before race

Opening ceremony - closeup of mountains
Opening ceremony - Col. Jose Negron shaking Todd's hand
Opening ceremony - Dr. Tony Tether
Opening ceremony - National Anthem
Opening ceremony - National Guard
Opening ceremony - National Guard 2
Opening ceremony - speaker
Opening ceremony - speaker 2
Opening ceremony - Team Leads come forward
Opening ceremony - various vehicles
Opening ceremony - vehicles and mountains
Pits - TerraHawk
Pits - TerraHawk - discussing next steps
Pits - TerraHawk - Don and Kurt
Pits - TerraHawk - Kevin hard at work on software
Pits - TerraHawk - last day for qualification
Pits - TerraHawk - rolled outside to check GPS signal
Qualification course - obstacles to avoid
Qualification course - opening to navigate through
Qualification course - rumble strips
TerraHawk - attracts onlookers

TerraHawk on NQE day 27 Sept 2005

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:53:26 -0400

These are photos of TerraHawk taken by Valerie before and after we arrived at NQE.

TH in motion
TH with raised sensor platform - weekend before NQE
TH test - under RF control
TH - spot in garage
TH - loading onto trailer
TH - lining up for Opening Ceremony
TH - in garage at CA Speedway

Video clips from TerraHawk NQE runs 3 and 4

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:50:53 -0400

These are short video clips from the 3rd and 4th NQE runs. Thanks to Valerie for capturing Run 3 and thanks to Paul Morgan for driving out to Fontana to catch our 4th and best run on video.

NQE 4 sections 0001
NQE 4 car 0001
NQE 4 sections 0002

DARPA Grand Challenge I - 2004

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:32:36 -0400

DARPA Grand Challenge I - March 2004 (Barstow to Vegas)

DARPA GC Logo (2004)
Banner over start line (night before)
TerraHawk in pits
Testing in field
Gathered around vehicle
Discussion around vehicle
Removingfailed motor (12AM)
Installing new motor to drive compressor (3:30AM)
Will it work?
Catching 30 minutes of sleep
Programming in back seat of car during cold night
Getting up from short cat nap
Working frantically
Uh oh...here comes break of day
Last attempts made before race start at 6AM
Media getting in place
Slash X Ranch Cafe hosts start of race
Official banner
Map of course
T-shirts being sold
Selling t-shirts
Looking toward starting chute
Course guards
Grandstands filled with spectators
Helicopters for media and following vehicles
National Anthem
Calvary
Opening ceremony
Ready to follow first vehicle out of chute
Red Team (CMU) takes off
Red Team vehicle passes through starting corral
Red Team vehicle around pass
Another vehicle exits start shute
Demise of vehicle
Another vehicle exits start shute
TerraMax at start line
Another vehicle leaves start line
Queuing up in shute
Leaving starting corral
Final decisions about what to do
Final attempts by Don
Taking TerraHawk back to trailer
Putting vehicle up on trailer
Tired team on morning of race
Logo on side of TerraHawk

Vehicle Progress

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:10:09 -0400

TerraHawk 2 vehicle

THV2 frame, all 3 segments, from the front
THV2 frame, all 3 segments, from the rear
THV2 frame with new lightweight swing arm
THV2 with first articulations and hydraulics
THV 2-axis articulated sensor head sensor boom and computing enclosure
Don installs the hydraulic pump in THV2
In the hydraulic jungle
THV2 rear section -- hydraulic pumps and battery tray, fuel tank
Dual 10HP E-Tek motors for hydraulics
THV2 rear section with steering articulation
One of 2 Diesel generators
THV2 with all sections connected and Diesels and hydraulics installed
THV2 front view with server enclosure and sensor boom installed

TerraHawk's Ladar view of the world -- first NQE run

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 07:31:02 -0400

This album contains a short segment of processed laser ranging data logged during NQE run 1 (where we hit the gate). The yellow track is the vehicle's past position; the vehicle is always centered in the frame, and the heading is shown as a faint white line. The red icons are new ladar obstacle detections and the blue icons are past ladar detections that persist in the processor memory as obstacles.

In this short segment, the first group of detections is the gate obstacle, and the second group is a van on the left side of the track. These detections were made with the latest ladar processing parameters, which will be used on the 4 Oct NQE run. If and when we encounter another car obstacle, the detection should look similar to the van, and we should avoid it.

For comparison, a similar ladar processing segment, "fullcircle4", from the Terra Engineering parking lot is included. This shows the walls of the garage and fence clearly, providing a better idea of what the ladar can detect.

snapshot frame from ladar detection processing video

Alternative DARPA Grand Challenge wallpapers

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 07:39:52 -0400

Tired of DARRA's versions? Here is an alternative.

Miscellaneous Terra Engineering Shop and Vehicle Pics

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 03:54:34 -0400

Candid moments captured when people are working

Mark appears extremely puzzled
Jim with the completed generator control box
New dual generator control box upper
New dual generator control box lower
Denny, virtuoso programmer extraordinaire, prepares another masterpiece
MOSFET after test
Jim building motor control board 1 of 6
Don and Todd with hydraulic assembly
Mark has now solved his puzzle
Denny helps Todd debug a key piece of hardware
THV1 was parked in the 'hood overnight; big mistake
Calibrating the cameras
Greg and John calibrate a camera
Sensor head housing being machined in Terra Eng shop
THV2 middle segment
Desert Tortise
Cameras in sensor head
Motor controllers
Denny in hyperthreading mode, programs one computer while observing the screen on another
Ken is ready for the next assembly and next wry pun
Laser ranging processing
CADMaster Don at the controls

Test site - the unforgiving desert

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 18:31:03 -0400

August 2005
August 2005
August 2005
August 2005
August 2005
August 2005

Earliest beginnings - 2003

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:24:25 -0400

First designs, fabrications, components and assemblies of TerraHawk

Complete Frames w Gas Shocks
Complete Frames w Gas Shocks---1
48V diesel generator
DCP01844
DCP01845
DCP01846
DCP01848
DCP01851
P4260081
Numerically controlled plasma cutter
First incarnation of stereo vision
First sensor data collection operations on dry lake bed and desert terrain
fullassembly5back
fullassembly4bottom
fullassembly3top

DARPA Site Visit 05/12/2005

Sun, 05 Jun 2005 23:45:43 -0400

DARPA sent 2 reps to inspect the capabilities of TerraHawk

IMG_0656.JPG
TerraHawk loaded up to take to field
Unloading TerraHawk for DARPA Site Visit
Initializing TerraHawk
DARPA Officials measuring course
TerraHawk with DARPA official in background
DARPA official at start of test run
Run 1 - TerraHawk takes off
Run 1 - Safety vehicle follows TerraHawk
TerraHawk nears end of course
Run 2 - TerraHawk, DARPA official, and safety chase vehicle
Run 2 - TerraHawk, DARPA official, and safety chase vehicle (2)
Run 2 - TerraHawk and DARPA official
Run 3 - TerraHawk takes off
TerraHawk passing over GPS waypoint (green marker)
Run 3- Approaching the finish line
Team around TerraHawk
DARPA officials interview Todd
Briefing DARPA officials - Aaron Shumate
Briefing DARPA officials - Greg Shreve
TerraHawk against the sky