VIA sponsored vehicle “Tommy” to fight for DARPA grand challenge US$2 million Prize

VIA sponsored vehicle “Tommy” to fight for DARPA grand challenge US$2 million Prize

New Delhi October 7, 2005 VIA Technologies today announced sponsorship of Team Jefferson, contenders for the US$2 million DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 autonomous vehicle race through the harsh terrain of the Mojave Desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Saturday 8th October with their VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard-based vehicle, “Tommy.”

The team’s vehicle, “Tommy”, features the advanced PRI-MAX software navigation platform from Perrone Robotics running on Sun Microsystems’ Java technology, powered by the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard. Together with UGV application software, Tommy is imbued with the intelligence needed to survive, drive, and navigate the tough DARPA Grand Challenge course, a VIA press release stated. While the DARPA Grand Challenge was conceived as a way of accelerating a US Government mandate to develop autonomous military vehicles to reduce casualty rates among American soldiers, the technologies required to compete in the race have applications far beyond the military, such as in the transportation industry – mainstream automobile manufacturers are already investigating new applications for these technologies, including autonomous parking and assisted navigation for the handicapped.

“From both a technology and a market standpoint, Team Jefferson were an easy choice for VIA,” said Timothy J. Brown, Marketing Manager, VIA Technologies, Inc. “We share a vision that our versatile PC platforms together with their multi-purpose robotics operating system PRI-MAX will drive new commercial applications that will become key PC technology markets of the future. DARPA is only the beginning.”

“We are pleased VIA is supporting our mission to create winning autonomous transportation solutions,” said Paul J. Perrone, Team Jefferson Leader. “We’re already looking ahead to future innovations based on VIA’s compact, energy efficient platforms, with a clear focus on affordability, extensibility, user-friendliness and reliability.”