What’s Next in Defense Tech

Government Computer News has a good round-up of ongoing defense research, some of which (as we all know) is related in one way or another to AI. Nothing too Earth-shattering, but a nice collection of news for the casual reader (GCN is not known for hard-hitting technical content). The coverage includes the DARPA Urban Challenge, machine translation and cognitive computing initiatives.

via AAAI.org News

Robots on the Highways

The LA Times has a nice fit-for-mass-consumption profile of the upcoming DARPA Urban Challenge, highlighting the potential civilian benefits from this military R&D program.

Delusions of Grandeur

An article has been floating around the web that overstates the importance of video game artificial intelligence.

"A lot of the most interesting work in artificial intelligence is being done by game developers," says Bruce Blumberg, senior scientist at Blue Fang Games in Waltham, and formerly a professor at MIT's Media Lab.

I don't agree. I think this (just like everything else, right?) is a problem of semantics. Consider this quote:

"As soon as we solve a problem, instead of looking at the solution as AI, we come to view it as just another computer system." - Martha Pollack

Researchers all over the world are doing exciting and relevant work in AI, yet we don't recognize it at such. Consider the work by Google in machine translation, by Stanford and other in autonomous navigation, and by scores of groups in data mining. I would argue that these are monumentally important advancements, far greater than the incrementally improved enemy combat tactics in Halo, yet most people don't recognize them as artificial intelligence.

AI has a PR issue. Perhaps AAAI needs an advocacy arm?

Son of Stanley

Stanford has unveiled their successor to Stanley, the driverless car that won the DARPA Grand Challenge two years back. Junior is an upgraded version of the champion autonomous vehicle, sporting several new enhancements. These include many additional sensors, optical trackers designed to follow road markers, and a 360-degree camera system--all controlled by seemingly COTS computer equipment. The software powering Junior has been upgraded as well, allowing it to tackle a much more complex urban environment, unlike its desert-bound forbearer. Junior’s 500 probabilistic algorithms take less than 300 milliseconds to make critical navigation decisions.

Junior is currently undergoing tests to qualify for the DARPA Urban Challenge on November 3.

Using Guesses to Build Mental Maps

Purdue Univ researchers have constructed a robotic navigation system that utilizes predictive mapping to chart the environment of unknown areas. The robots create “mental maps” of unseen regions based on observed patterns recognized in previously-charted territory. Simulations have shown successful navigation while exploring as little as 33% of an environment.

This system seems well-suited for Grand Challenge driverless vehicle applications, which in the past have mostly relied on interpretation of real-time sensor telemetry. If this predictive mental mapping could be expanded beyond environmental navigation to contextual awareness in general, building abstract mental models of ideas and concepts, it could be another step on the path towards artificial consciousnesss.

Autonomous Cars by 2030.

Only 23 more years until we can sleep while driving to work. That's the prediction of scientists working on this year's DARPA Urban Challenge, the third annual Grand Challenge featuring a 60-mile course for driverless vehicles through a simulated city.

The Stanford researcher also predicts battlefield use of this technology by 2015--conveniently just in time to meet the Congressional deadline to make a third of all military vehicles autonomous. So not only will the technology drastically reduce drunk driving accidents, it will hopefully reduce deaths by roadside bomb as well.

No More DARPA Prize $$$

Citing a defense spending bill signed by President Bush this month, DARPA will not award any prize money at this year’s Grand Challenge.

DARPA’s interpretation of the new law prohibits the agency from conferring the anticipated $2.7 million award. Instead, the top three teams will each receive a trophy purchased out-of-pocket by DARPA director Tony Tether. This development has raised concerns that some teams will be forced to drop out of the competition and will reduce media coverage of the event.

After last year’s race where Stanford triumphed by successfully navigating a 132-mile desert course, the third Grand Challenge to be held in November 2007 will test the unmanned vehicles’ ability to traverse congested city traffic, avoiding other cars and complying with the rules of the road. Dubbed “The DARPA Urban Challenge,” this race will simulate a military supply mission in an urban environment, pushing the vehicles’ autonomous control systems to their limit. As with the two previous Grand Challenge events, the overall goal is meeting the congressional mandate to make one-third of all military ground vehicles unmanned by 2015.

via AAAI.org News

Hands-Free Driving

We already know about cars that can drive themselves, park themselves, and maintain a safe following distance.

Now, a consortium including Volvo and DaimlerChrysler is working to develop a control system to better integrate all of the intelligent devices in the vehicle with the human driver. How soon until we're all cruisin' around like John Anderton and Del Spooner?

via KurzweilAI.net

U.S. Army to Deploy Combat Robots in Iraq

The L.A. Times is reporting that the Army will deploy unmanned robotic ground vehicles into combat in Iraq later this year.

The robots, known as 'Tactical Amphibious Ground Support' and built by Northrop Grumman, will be the first autonomous ground vehicles used in a combat zone. The Army intends to use them for surveillance and border security missions, and the machines can navigate entirely on their own (although a remote operator can take control in the event of an emergency). Robots like the bomb-dismantling PackBot by iRobot have been serving in Iraq for quite some time, but this will mark the first use of completely autonomous vehicles in ground combat.

Smart Cars of the Future

There is a interesting article in Popular Science looking at the future of intelligent systems in automobiles, and how these systems will make transportation by car safer and more efficient.

Too Bad it's Remote-Controlled

The C|Net News Science Blog picked up a story about a new unmanned ground vehicle currently under development for the US Marine Corps.

Carnegie Mellon University gave its first public demonstration of the Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) on 4 August. This remote-controlled robot is designed for reconaissance and search & discovery mission in hostile environments, but the military is already looking to expand its capabilities by adding machine guns and other weapons. The latest prototype even includes hand grenades which can be used to clear obstacles (and personnel?). Perhaps the developers could work with CMU's DARPA Grand Challenge team to integrate some autonomous control systems into the Gladiator...

A Tiger Under the Hood

Slashdot pointed me in the direction of a PCWorld.com article about yet another DARPA Grand Challenge team. Unlike the rest of the 40 semi-finalists, this group uses Mac OS X to control their vehicle. But it seems they stole Stanford's idea to use a VW Taureg as the platform.

More Coverage of DARPA Grand Challenge

As was brought to my attention by Slashdot, Tom's Hardware has a nice article about some of the nuts & bolts inside a few of the competitors for the 2006 DARPA Grand Challenge coming this October. The article seems a little awkward (translated from the original German?), but has a good collection of interesting info and cool photos.

Stanford's 'Robo-Taureg' Making Progress

C|Net News has another update about another DARPA Grand Challenge participant.

Stanford University's driverless car 'Stanley' recently managed to navigate 25 miles before a human driver was forced to take control. That is certainly an improvement over previous attempts, but 'Stanley' still has a way to go in order to complete the 175-mile DARPA course and score the $2 million prize.

Pink Slip for NASCAR Drivers?

C|Net News reports a Carnegie Mellon Robotic Vehicle successfully completed a 200 mile, seven hour drive, completely autonomously.

Although the course was merely 131 laps around a 1.5 mile racetrack, the duration of this event represents a significant milestone in the development of driverless vehicles. The next step will be the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The Carnegie Mellon team led all participants in last year's contest, completeing 7.3 miles of the 142 mile course before getting stuck.