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Fallout from AUVSI newsletter
July 2, 2008

Dave Jones, http://www.auav.net  called in response to the story from the Traverse City Record-Eagle reprinted in the AUVSI's Unmanned Systems eBrief - Issue #27 http://www.record-eagle.com/features/local_story_176094230.html  He runs an electronics shop of his own and is interested in providing an e-stop for AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC's driverless Army supply truck AGV WENDY DARLING. Beyond that he would also like to help AIM develop the intelligent driving system it will take to follow the California Rules Of The Road as detailed online at: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/driver_handbook_toc.htm  He explained the new toaster oven he is getting for surface mounting electronic components. A dab of solder pen paste is put on each component pad, the components are carefully placed, then the circuit board is put in an ordinary toaster oven that has a special timer hooked up to it that ramps the temperature up then hold for a set period of time then ramps the temperature down. The surface tension of the solder on each pad helps center the components provided that the board is absolutely level in the toaster oven. Dave finds that the solder joints done this way are better than can be done with a soldering iron. From our conversation on the phone he sounds like he will be a valuable new member for the AIM Team. 

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Allen Gregory, a junior at Rice University, wrote to ask what inspired me to get involved in the DARPA Grand Challenge and how is successful fundraising done.  He is considering getting involved in projects like this and is curious about how he can fund them.  My motivation, as a veteran with a concern for logistics, I can see where an automatic guided supply truck would be very handy and thought I could help the US armed forces get the driverless truck they need.  As for how successful fundraising is done I go back to what the champion fundraiser of the DARPA G C teams, Red Whitaker, said: "Fundraising? I only get money from my friends ... and I like to make new friends every day."  For me his words put fundraising in a whole new perspective, it completely changed how I think about fundraising.   Come to think of it I could use more friends too.

HOT TOPIC IN THE TRADES
From the chatter in the engineering trade publications that I subscribe to it appears that, reguardless of what name they are called by, active safety systems have become a hot topic.  Machine Design magazine devoted a whole issue to the subject and other magazines are doing the same thing.  In fact there is so much progress being made in this area it is hard to keep up with.  This is a big difference from a couple of years ago when people would yawn when the subject came up.   Part of the motivation is the European Communities interest in cutting traffic fatalities in half by 2010.  Each of the countries involved is trying to out-do the other in being the country that does the most to encourage progress toward meeting that goal.   One of several EC initiatives is being funded at 800 million Euros per year.  With money like that flowing in, the subject of how to make vehicles safer is getting a lot of attention.  As it turns out, there is only one problem remaining to be solved in traffic safety, my dad used to refer to it as "the nut behind the steering wheel."   Addressing the problem of how unreliable human drivers are is where the industry is.  Yesterday a visitor in the shop was flabergasted to learn that new safety systems take control away from the driver to prevent traffic accidents.  Other years they did things like prepare for the crash when the vehicle realized that the driver has gotten himself into a situation that he can not escape from.  This year the systems are taking action sooner to prevent the accident entirely.  Eventually these systems will be brought to the USA.  

SEARCH TERMS (VIDEO)
driverless, autonomous vehicle, active safety systems, adaptive braking, adaptive cruise control.

GO ROBOTS !

Paul F. Grayson - Chief Engineer
AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, LLC
Racing to build technology that saves lives.
390 4-Mile Rd. S.
Traverse City, MI 49686-8411
(231) 946-0187, (231) 883-4463 Cell
pgrayson@aimagic.org
AIM: http://aimagic.org
Robot Club: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/robotcluboftraversecitymi/
CE Magazine: http://www.controleng.com/blog/1180000318.html

Posted by Paul Grayson on July 2, 2008 | Comments (0)