Do you wish you have a futuristic car which can drive all by itself? With a car like that you can go on a roadtrip and not worry about sleeping on the wheel. If you think that a vehicle like that is non-existent then you are dead wrong as 89 teams have participated in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge and al of their entries are vehicles which can operate without human guidance.
And the best of the best is named the "Boss". It is a Chevy Tahoe which can steer all by itself. With its sensors and advanced software, it can merge into moving traffic safely. It can perform parking maneuvers better than other drivers too.
Boss is developed by Carnegie Mellon University and took the $2 million purse after the 60-mile final showdown. The event is sponsored by the US Military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency reported The Auto Channel.
"We're honored to be able to participate in the type of leading-edge technology demonstrated in the DARPA Challenge," explained Thomas D. Gillespie, Ph.D., director of product planning and co-founder of Mechanical Simulation. "The work being done by Carnegie Mellon -- and all these teams -- is reflected in the advancements in active safety systems within the automotive industry and in countless other programs in the future."
Mechanical Simulation is the company which developed the CarSim technology which was used on the Boss just like Acura performance chip on an MDX. The company's president, Terence Rhoades had this to say: "We have participated in the DARPA Challenge with Carnegie Mellon for the past three years. The team has brought an impressive level of skill and creativity to this competition, and it's gratifying to see them achieve the highest honors. The competitions challenge us as much as they do the teams to produce vehicles that will respond to road hazards.'