Autonomous Driving in Traffic: Boss and the Urban Challenge

Authors

  • Chris Urmson Carnegie Mellon University
  • Chris Baker Carnegie Mellon University
  • John Dolan Carnegie Mellon University
  • Paul Rybski Carnegie Mellon University
  • Bryan Salesky Carnegie Mellon University
  • William Whittaker Carnegie Mellon University
  • Dave Ferguson Two Sigma Investments
  • Michael Darms Carnegie Mellon University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v30i2.2238

Keywords:

autonomous vehicles, robotics, motion planning, sensor fusion

Abstract

The DARPA Urban Challenge was a competition to develop autonomous vehicles capable of safely, reliably and robustly driving in traffic. In this article we introduce Boss, the autonomous vehicle that won the challenge. Boss is complex artificially intelligent software system embodied in a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. To navigate safely, the vehicle builds a model of the world around it in real time. This model is used to generate safe routes and motion plans in both on roads and in unstructured zones. An essential part of Boss’ success stems from its ability to safely handle both abnormal situations and system glitches.

Author Biographies

Chris Urmson, Carnegie Mellon University

Assistant Research Professor
Robotics Institute

 

Chris Baker, Carnegie Mellon University

Graduate Student
Robotics Institute

John Dolan, Carnegie Mellon University

Senior Systems Scientist
Robotics Institute

Paul Rybski, Carnegie Mellon University

Systems Scientist
Robotics Institute

Bryan Salesky, Carnegie Mellon University

Commercialization Specialist
National Robotics Engineering Center of the Robotics Institute

William Whittaker, Carnegie Mellon University

Fredkin University Research Professor of Robotics

Dave Ferguson, Two Sigma Investments

Researcher

Michael Darms, Carnegie Mellon University

Team Leader
Advanced Engineering Department, Chassis and Safety Division

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Published

2009-06-26

How to Cite

Urmson, C., Baker, C., Dolan, J., Rybski, P., Salesky, B., Whittaker, W., Ferguson, D., & Darms, M. (2009). Autonomous Driving in Traffic: Boss and the Urban Challenge. AI Magazine, 30(2), 17. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v30i2.2238

Issue

Section

Articles