[sudo-discuss] Elcano: An Open Source Ultralight Automated Vehicle

[Jenny Ryan]

 Forwarded from info at sudoroom.org:*
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Automation is gathering momentum, but implementation may
shortchange<http://www.rockethub.com/projects/28761-elcano-open-source-autonomous-vehicles>
 society<http://www.rockethub.com/projects/28761-elcano-open-source-autonomous-vehicles>
. *

Vehicle automation is too important to leave to the big companies, so Jigsaw
Renaissance <http://www.jigsawrenaissance.org/> is putting together a
low-cost electronics and software kit that will open selfdrive for DIY
experimentation. All contributions are appreciated. Can you help us out
either financially or technically? The RocketHub crowdfunding campaign
lasts until Monday, August 30, so we have less than 2 weeks for our Popular
Science #Crowdgrant<http://www.rockethub.com/projects/partner/popularscience>
to
fund production of printed circuit boards: http://bit.ly/DIYRobotKits
<http://www.rockethub.com/projects/28761-elcano-open-source-autonomous-vehicles>

We are working on implementing our kit into a self-driving vehicle
prototype that includes the vehicle, electronics, servos and actuators. One
of the goal is to keep the cost down to under $5,000. Our kit will also fit
on an RC car, which saves $2,000 on vehicle cost and $500 on actuators. The
prototype is a drive-by-wire recumbent tricycle: legally a bicycle, so no
hassle with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). And yes, all of our
work is open source including the softwares and the electronics schematics.

We’re extremely excited about the release of our kits and hope you can help
us spread the word. A sustained presence online will propel us well past
our intended goal. Please forward this link. Support the project by backing
it, tweeting about it (follow our
@ElcanoProject<https://twitter.com/ElcanoProject> twitter
account), and even blogging about it. We want our platform to be as robust
as possible, so your feedback would be awesome. We're happy to answer any
questions people might have. The more questions you ask, the better our
answers can be!

You can look at the current iteration on www.elcanoproject.org. We recently
showed our first vehicle at the Stanford workshop on road vehicle
automation (http://www.vehicleautomation.org). A second vehicle is being
assembled at the University of Washington, Bothell, and will be the focus
of a student project: http://blogs.uw.edu/cssuwb/projects/elcano2/

Our electronics system runs on Arduino microprocessors robustly mounted on
custom printed circuit boards. We have already built the low level control
module, which isolates vehicle specific functions. We are working on the
high level module, which combines three separate processors to find current
location, plot a path to the destination, and feed the next path segment
(avoiding obstacles) to lowlevel control. We also have a design for a
module of five sonar range finders. Future modules will handle the operator
interface and connect to a PC based simulator. You are welcome to subscribe
to the project update: http://fb.me/6qUFeMLZN Feel free to contact us at
info at ElcanoProject.org with any questions or just to say hello.


Thank you!


Elcano Project Team
www.elcanoproject.org


Copyright © 2013 Elcano Project, All rights reserved.
We look forward to a continuing partnership with you.
Our mailing address is:
Elcano Project
815 Seattle Boulevard South, Seattle, WA
Suite 112
Seattle, WA 98134
Add us to your address book
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