AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Automotive
Systems is the latest sponsor to join Carnegie Mellon University's Tartan
Racing, a team that will enter a driverless Chevy Tahoe in the $2 million
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge scheduled
for November 3, 2007.
Continental is providing driver assistance technologies, including
advanced sensors, plus its General brand Grabber UHP tires with Conti*Seal,
and has embedded an engineer who is working full-time with the Pittsburgh-
based team to help the vehicle to compete in the race. The race consists of
traveling 60 miles in a mock urban setting without a driver or the use of
remote controls in less than six hours. Vehicles must follow the rules of
the road, negotiate intersections, merge into traffic, and avoid obstacles,
with only computers at the wheel.
"We are thrilled to be part of the Tartan Racing team," said Dean
McConnell, director, Occupant Safety and Driver Assistance Systems,
Continental Automotive Systems, North America. "This experience will help
further advance our active safety and other intelligent technologies for
use in passenger cars and trucks of the future."
The Urban Challenge is designed to develop autonomous vehicles that
will someday perform hazardous tasks with limited human involvement.
Ultimately, the experimental technology developed for the Challenge could
yield new devices that aid human drivers and improve highway safety.
"Continental brings to the team depth of knowledge, passion and
appreciation for true innovation in developing smarter, more efficient
vehicles," said William "Red" Whittaker, Fredkin research professor at
Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute and team leader for Tartan Racing.
Since there are no human drivers in the Urban Challenge, the driverless
cars must "see" roads and other vehicles with cameras, lasers, radar,
sensors and other smart car technologies. Planning software continuously
determines where and how to drive, how to avoid trouble and how to quickly
reach a destination.
The Urban Challenge will be at an as-yet undisclosed site somewhere in
the western United States. It will award a $2 million prize to the team
whose vehicle completes the course the fastest in less than six hours, with
$500,000 and $250,000 prizes going to the second- and third-place
finishers.
Other sponsors of the Tartan Racing team include General Motors,
Caterpillar, Google and Intel, among others.
The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of brake
systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical
elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of EUR14.9 billion. It
has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.
As a worldwide leading technology partner to the automotive industry,
the Automotive Systems Division of Continental AG integrates extensive
know-how and uncompromising quality in the fields of driving safety,
embedded telematics and hands-free communication systems, powertrain and
comfort. In 2006 the division achieved sales of approx. EUR6 billion with a
workforce of more than 30,000. Continental Automotive Systems develops and
produces electronic and hydraulic brake, stability and chassis control
systems, electronic air suspension systems, sensors, engine management and
transmission control systems, hybrid drives, cooling fan modules, body and
security electronics and also is the industry leader of embedded telematics
and communication systems in vehicles.
Internet media data bases: http://www.contiautomotive.com or
http://conti-online.mediaroom.com /.
For additional information, visit Tartan Racing on the Web at
http://www.tartanracing.org
For additional information regarding the Urban Challenge, visit
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge
SOURCE Continental Automotive Systems
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Related links:
http://www.contiautomotive.com
http://www.conti-online.com http://www.contitevesna.com/
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/437525.html/
CONTACT:
Jim Gill, M.S., APR, Director Communications,
Continental, Automotive Systems Division, +1-248-393-5210, or
fax, +1-248-393-5217, or Mobile, +1-248-882-6309, or
jim.gill@us.contiautomotive.com, or Katja Mattl, External
Communications, Continental, Automotive Systems Division,
Sieboldstrasse 19 90411 Nurnberg, Germany, +49 (0)911 9526 2591,
or fax, +49 (0)911 9526 2537, or katja.mattl@contiautomotive.com
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