DARPA Grand Challenge a Stunning Success

THE PENTAGON'S MILLION-DOLLAR CONTEST between autonomous robots in California's Mojave desert Saturday proved a brilliant success that achieved even its loftiest objectives. All the problems relating to autonomous military vehicle development were largely solved by participants, validating the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) approach of using an open competition to accelerate the technologies required for unmanned land navigation.

That's my take on the whole thing. But that's not the story you heard from the mainstream media over the weekend. All the reports I read were laden with disappointed reporters, who snidely focused on the fact that no entry finished the course, or even made it to the eight mile mark in the 142-mile race. This from a bunch of journalists barely technical enough to find the Mojave Desert using Mapquest.

Here's a sampling of headlines that characterize the judgmental tone of reporting:

"Robots Fail to Complete Grand Challenge" (CNN Online)

"If They Only Had a Brain" (The San Jose Mercury News)

"Desert Race Too Tough for Robots" (BBC)

"Contest Ends in Fall of the Machines" (Los Angeles Times)

"Desert Course Mocks Robotic Vehicles" (Miami Herald)
 

Gentle reader, these reports have completely missed The Real Story. Each of the entries was "done in" by a unique problem. But collectively, ALL OF THE ENGINEERING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH UNMANNED LAND NAVIGATION WERE SOLVED.

A few of the vehicles were able to navigate the general course (by GPS guidance) but proved unable to avoid small obstacles (boulders, etc.). Others could avoid obstacles but had trouble with controlling the vehicles with computers (one entry had breaks that wouldn't release). Still others had all the navigational and computer control, but the vehicles themselves proved unworthy of the rugged terrain. One entry tore through the starting area with perfect navigation -- it looked like a professional human driver was behind the wheel -- but then the vehicle flipped over on its side at the first 90-degree turn. It was simply going too fast.

Stated another way, if all the entries shared a single inability -- say the inability to navigate local obstacles -- then we could come away saying, "well, we can't do it yet." But that's not the case. Each of the major engineering problems was solved by at least two entries.

A DARPA spokesman told us that participants were feverishly sharing their knowledge and best practices with each other -- exactly the kind of information exchange the race was designed to foster.

What the mainstream press didn't tell you is that DARPA is working on its own unmanned vehicles behind the scenes, and that's the whole point of the Grand Challenge. They took all the hard-won knowledge of participants and will apply it to their own R&D.

The official purpose of the event was "to leverage American ingenuity to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicle technologies that can be applied to military requirements." Did they succeed or fail in that objective? I think the answer is clear.

Personally, I walked away from the event in awe of what I had just witnessed.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to CeBit!

Don't Try This At Home

A web site that appears to reveal photos, videos and some details on the creation of a "transformer" type giant robot by one Colin Mayhew out of a Mini Cooper is simply too amazing to be true. I think this very sophisticated faux "enthusiast" web site -- sophisticated in its perfect lack of sophistication -- is part of a promotional tie-in between the Mini Cooper people and the makers of the upcoming "I, Robot" movie. Just a guess.

First Ever Death From Computer Gaming?

A 31-year-old computer gaming addict in China died after playing the online game Saga nonstop for 20 hours at an internet cafe in Chengdu, Sichuan province, according to Chinese news stories. It was reported as the first-ever case of death-by-computer game. But after reading my posting on the Raw Feed, reader Aram Armstrong told me that he is "pretty sure a couple guys have kicked the bucket in Korea playing video games."

There's No Such Thing as a Free Newsletter!

This exciting issue of Mike's List is sponsored by your fellow readers who sent money in the past week to support ad-free, spam-free content: Ron (10), Brian (10), Max (20), Mark (20) -- and also by the Mike's List "Buck a Month Club": Jeff, John, Ray, Joseph, Mark, Sherrin, Ian, Ricardo, Terry, Dennis, Amira, Judy, "L", Joel, Charles, Glenn, Paul, Nicholas, Audrey, Doug, Phil, James, Gloria, Timothy, Gordon, Brian, William, James, Security, Bram, David, Evren, Ankesh, Roger, Peter, Andrew, John, Rodger, David, Tim and my mom. Go here to use your credit card via PayPal to sponsor Mike's List with a quick and easy contribution.

Found Video

Apple's iPod advertising look-and-feel is being used and abused for humorous effect. Comedy Central copied the iPod-ad look (person silhouetted on basic bright color with object -- in Apple's case, an iPod, in Comedy Central's case, a bottle of booze and a cigarette) to advertise its "Redneck Weekend" comedy tour show. Yeeeeeehaa! And a famous morale-boosting rant by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been transformed by a Mac enthusiast into an iPod ad.

Rumor Watch

Apple Newton enthusiasts (yes, they walk among us, unmonitored) have been polled recently asking why they feel the Newton failed in the market and if they would be interested in Apple "re-launching a new, improved Newton." The pollsters didn't reveal who they were working for, but who else but Apple could it be? (Scroll to bottom of article)

A document leaked onto the Internet may prove to be a specification for Nintendo's forthcoming DS handheld. If it's not a forgery, gamers can look forward to a gadget with touch panel input, 802.11 wireless LAN and a 3D graphics.

Proof You Can Buy Anything on the Web

Just fire up your browser and all this can be yours:

Janet and Justin Super Bowl dolls

A remote control for your yacht

and even a wristwatch that repels mosquitoes

Cell Phone Follies

Club Nokia members were sent CeBIT invitations as mobile spam, which crashed the Nokia phones they were sent to. (Translation from German via Babelfish)

The Indian company Reliance Mobile now offers the $529 Telson TWC 1150, a wristwatch with everything. The gadget has a camera, a monitor for looking at your pictures, cell phone, speakerphone, voice-recognition, touch pad, etc. It even tells the time.

The Saudi Arabian interior ministry began systematically inspecting gadget shops, hunting for camera phones on sale. The crackdown was launched after it was discovered that -- SHOCK! OUTRAGE!! -- teenage girls were using them to take pictures of each other.

Mike's List on the Radio

Craig Crossman's Computer America features Mike Elgan every Thursday night. The show runs from 7pm to 9pm SVT (Silicon Valley Time). Listen to Computer America on your local Business TalkRadio station or over the Internet every weeknight. Don't miss Computer America!

Gotta-Get-It Gadgets

The Register is reporting that Victorinox (the Swiss Army Knife people) and Swissbit (the USB memory people) will unveil at the German computer fair CeBIT this week the ultimate pocket tool for geeks: The USB Swiss Army Knife. It comes in 128 megabyte and 64 megabyte versions.

A Japanese company called Daido Metal has created a fuel cell toy car that uses water as its source of hydrogen. No, it's not just a prototype. You'll soon be able to buy one for about $180.

A company called Fishing-CAM makes underwater wireless cameras that let you watch your lure or hook while fishing. A compatible monitor mounts on your fishing reel so you can view the action. It makes fishing almost as fun as watching TV!

Mike's List Merchandise

By popular demand, I now have Mike's List online store. You can also buy a Mike's List bumper sticker at the Computer America web site!

Wacky Web Sites

Bad art needs a museum, too. The MUSEUM of Bad Art web site is just the place.

Imagine what pornography would be like if there were no sex in it. It would look something like this.

If you like to hear barely intelligible robot voices spewing the random muck that passes as "content" on millions of blogs around the world -- and, after all, who doesn't? -- then tune in to Radio Vox Populi.

The 1973 creep-out movie, The Exorcist, was nice, but way too long. Here's a much improved, 30-second version, enacted by cartoon bunnies.

Television shows are mostly re-compilations of the same dull clichés, tired devices and generic gimmicks used on other television shows. Here's The Catalogue. 

Reader Comment

Mike,

Thank you for taking the pictures of our Doom Buggy, Palos Verdes High School's entry in the Grand Challenge. In our hearts, we have already won just entering the race! When we had the disappointing run at the start line on Saturday, UCLA Head coach of Men's Basketball, John Wooden, called one of our parents to pass along this encouraging words. It goes..."Winning is not everything; Wanting to win is everything!"

Sincerely,
Cecille DeSimone

I'd like to hear from you! Send me an e-mail and let me know what you think of Mike's List. I get hundreds of reader e-mail messages per week, so I can publish only a tiny fraction of them. I reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Go here to send comments.

Correction

I wrote last week about inventor/artist Alison Lewis's wireless ring for lovers, which illuminates and releases heat in the other's ring when touched. I said the idea started as an M.I.T. thesis but in fact she developed it at Parsons School of Design.

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Go here to send YOUR guess (be sure to say where you live). If you're first with the right answer, I'll print your name in the next issue of Mike's List!

LAST WEEK'S MYSTERY PIC: No, it's not a "digital birth-control pill dispenser," a "camera-equipped belt buckle" or even a "scene from the original Sea Hunt in which a much younger Lloyd Bridges saves the day by retrieving Elvis's belt from the ocean" as suggested by some readers. In fact, it's picture of a Holograph Viewer Phone created by Panasonic and viewed by a visitor to the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes recently. The phone -- currently a prototype -- is designed to wireless interact with jewelry and display 3D information in its see-through holographic screen. Mega congrats to Erik of Malaysia for being first with the right answer.

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