“Dora,” is the world’s first fully autonomous vehicle driven by Mac OS X. The entire development and race management efforts at Team Banzai are being done using Apple Mac OS X technology.
Their VW Touareg is driven by three Mac mini computers! The computers inside the car control electronic pistons and belts to control the steering wheel, brake and gas pedals, and gear shifter. The car follows a series of GPS waypoints that define the course boundary and periodic check points. The system can “see” the road via various video cameras, radars, sonars, and lasers that estimate what the terrain is like and what obstacles may be in between.
Team Banzai is one of only 40 teams from around the country to advance by invitation to the national semi-finals of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Selected from a field of almost 200 teams that applied and competed through earlier regional elimination rounds, Team Banzai is proud to be participating in this exciting head-to-head competition in an attempt to win $2 million.
It’s pretty amazing to see Mac OS X and the Mac mini actually driving a car… most of us just use our Mac mini’s for driving our music, movies and GPS!
Visit the Team Banzai website for more info and pictures.
