Team ENSCO Will Continue Development of Unmanned Vehicle to Compete in Next Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge
Springfield, Va., March 22, 2004 – Team ENSCO, a company-sponsored and volunteer group of ENSCO researchers and engineers, announced today that development efforts will continue for their autonomous ground vehicle. Team ENSCO was among the top 15 (pole position number 8) of the 22 pre-qualified entrants selected for the 2004 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge Qualification, Inspection and Demonstration (QID) event at the California Speedway, March 8-12, 2004. The 15 participated in the DARPA Grand Challenge race from Barstow, Calif. to Primm, N.V., March 13.
Though none of the vehicles made it more than seven miles through the very harsh environment of the planned 142 mile path, ENSCO’s vehicle, DAVID, traversed the first few nodes of the race before driving through thick bushes at the edge of the desert road and overturning as it became dislodged. DARPA officials clocked DAVID at 30 mph, the second fastest speed of all competing vehicles. Team ENSCO was the only vehicle to rollover during the QID and land on its wheels, and then be back up and fully functioning in only 5 hours.
ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, contributed significant resources for this project in order to support the development of innovative technologies in advanced path planning; obstacle characterization; and avoidance using active and passive sensor systems and autonomous dynamic vehicle control. The company is committed to encouraging entrepreneurial spirit within its employee population. Team ENSCO was one of only two Virginia teams selected and one of only five total East Coast teams participating.
DARPA will hold another Grand Challenge event in 2005 and Team ENSCO committed to again vie for a seat in the race. “We will be there,” said Team ENSCO leader, Gary Carr. “Our vehicle will be significantly enhanced and we will be there.” Team ENSCO’s approach in the 2004 event utilized an off-the-shelf all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that was substantially modified to improve stability and obstacle avoidance capabilities. The ATV was instrumented with an inertial navigation system and a differential global positioning system (DGPS), a complex obstacle detection and avoidance system using laser radar (LIDAR) and Doppler radar, and an active system for steering, braking and throttle control.
Team ENSCO is unique in that it represents one of a few of the entrants undertaking the majority of the challenging aspects of this competition on its own and utilizing a large amount of volunteer time on the part of its employees. The team is joined by several individuals from The George Mason University Geography Department to assist with the vehicle’s path finding capabilities; an individual from the Georgetown University Physics Laboratory; and interns from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Sponsors include National Instruments, MathWorks and Whelen Engineering, which have donated hardware and software technology components for the entry vehicle. “It is a tough challenge—a grand challenge—you can always bet that it is not doable. But if you don’t push the limits, you can’t learn,” said ENSCO engineer and Team ENSCO member, Venkatesh Vasudevan.
ENSCO’s President, Greg Young shared his perspective of the DARPA Grand Challenge. “The building of autonomous vehicles for our military is an exciting and challenging undertaking and one that serves an essential service in helping to keep our men and women in uniform out of harms way in military conflicts and war. We were proud to participate and proud of the results. The opportunity to learn, discover, create, problem solve, work as a team and develop and integrate one of the most sophisticated systems ever built is something our team will cherish and remember for the rest of their lives. Our team members’ experiences here will benefit their contributions to the many programs and research efforts they will engage in at ENSCO for years to come.”
About Team ENSCO
Team ENSCO is a group of researchers and engineers that specialize in developing innovative technologies. All members of this company sponsored-volunteer group are employed by ENSCO Inc. who has contributed significant resources for this project. ENSCO, Inc. is an innovative engineering, science and advanced technology solutions company with clients in the defense, security, transportation, environmental, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90 million, 725-person privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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