Control Engineering

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Get Ready, Get Set, GO To The Race.
October 5, 2007

The automation and control networking event of the century is about to happen and unlike conventions or trade shows there is no entrance fee.   If your company makes anything that can be used as a part in the million plus driverless systems that the US armed forces have been ordered by congress to buy and install "as soon as possible and before 2015" you should be packing for your trip to Victorville.  The people you need to network with to be part of this new market will be there, will you?  

October 24-25, 2007
      Teams Arrive Victorville, CA
October 26-31, 2007
     National Qualification Event  Victorville, CA
November 3, 2007
     Urban Challenge Final Event Victorville, CA 

This event will likely be a turning point in automation history.  Up until now robotics contests were academic exercises, no one was waiting to buy what they developed.  This contest is different in that there is a customer with authorization to buy and install over one million units as soon as they are available.  Additional customers for this same or closely related version are several hundred times that number.  With economic forces like this driving the introduction of a marketable driverless system - it is sure to happen.  Are you going to be part of it?

Like many of the 53 other teams whose vehicles have not been selected to participate in the elimination trials, here at AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC we are making arrangements to send two representatives to the race. Linda and Tom Graham who are part of the AIM support staff were picked to go to the elimination trials and 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge race in Victorville, CA.  The rest of us will be watching the race on TV, the web cast and what other data feeds we can get. 

To save money, Linda and Tom will be driving their own car, camping along the way, taking their groceries with them, and staying with friends near Victorville, CA.  Now all we have to do is raise the $1,250 that we estimate that it will take in fuel, camping fees, etc.

To raise the money for their trip we are having a fundraiser at G's Pizza, a bake sale, contacting our neighbors and businesses for donations which will be acknowledged on our driverless US Army demonstration vehicle AGV WENDY DARLING.  We are also selling robot books other items listed on our websites webstore page.   

Each donated dollar is so difficult to get that we stretch it as far as we can.  A great deal of effort goes into discovering new ways to economize and to be more efficient so you can be confident that your donation will be spent for maximum effect.  Linda and Tom have a 5,552 mile round trip ahead of them to get from Traverse City, MI to Victorville, CA and back.  

Each dollar you donate can move Linda and Tom's car 4.4 miles.  How many miles would you like to sponsor?




GO ROBOTS !

Posted by Paul Grayson on October 5, 2007 | Comments (0)