OSHKOSH, Wis. — August 13, 2007 — Oshkosh Truck Corporation [NYSE:OSK] announced today that Team Oshkosh’s TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle received an invitation from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to compete in the Urban Challenge National Qualification Event (NQE) Oct. 26 – 31, 2007.
The Oshkosh TerraMax vehicle is a 4×4 medium tactical vehicle with rear steer, a 21-ft. turning radius and customized LIDAR (light detection and ranging system), most resembling current military vehicles.
The autonomous vehicle competition will be held in Victorville, Calif., the location of an urban military training facility located on the former George Air Force Base. The location and test events simulate the type of urban terrain and driving conditions American forces operate in when deployed overseas.
“Oshkosh is extremely pleased that our TerraMax vehicle is once again competing the DARPA Urban Challenge. The Team Oshkosh advanced to the NQE following a successful site visit with DARPA in June. The TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle demonstrated basic unmanned navigation and traffic skills including intersection precedence, y-turns, route planning and passing stationary vehicles.
At the NQE, vehicles will attempt to demonstrate advanced navigation and traffic skills including correct parking lot behavior, merging with moving traffic, appropriate vehicle separation of moving traffic, defensive driving behaviors, advanced route planning and obstacle avoidance during a traffic jam. After completion of the NQE, finalists are then chosen to compete in the Urban Challenge Event, a 60-mile course that must be safely completed within a six-hour time limit, to be held on Nov. 3, 2007. DARPA will award $2 million, $1 million and $500,000 to the top three finishers of the Urban Challenge Event.
Oshkosh Truck has teamed with Teledyne Scientific Company, The University of Parma in Italy, Ibeo Automobile Sensor GmbH and Auburn University to help develop these capabilities. Caterpillar, Inc. has joined Team Oshkosh as a Gold sponsor.
More information is available at www.terramax.com.
