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This unit was about robotics and particularly about autonomous vehicles and the identification of the correct number of states for different
situations. The first two videos are particularly interesting, amazing and also amusing, so I decided to embed them there. They tell the story of the Darpa Grand Challenge, that awarded $2 million to the first robotic car able to drive alone for 141 miles throughout the desert of Mojave. Many teams participated, including amateurs, universities, military departments, etc. but in 2004 no car could reach the destination. At Stanford University a team was established, lead by prof. Sebastian Thrun and the following year the car built by them, called Stanley, won the challenge! Now the car is conserved in a science museum, as the first real robotic car ever built. Enjoy the videos! |