2nd and 3rd Qualifying Rounds

Oct. 28, 2007
Odin is tested on the 2nd and 3rd qualifying events, B and C. The first test of the day, event B, takes place first thing in the morning at 7:30. Quite used to the early mornings at this point (the picture to the right is taken at 5am), the team is in place well before the designated launch time. Test area B includes the most diverse set of challenges of any of the qualification events. It is designed to test Odin's ability to navigate difficult road conditions and park. Perched on a balcony, team members look on as their vehicle exits the start chute. Odin is able to finish a good portion of the course before getting stuck at "the gauntlet", a maze of disabled vehicles DARPA scatters in the road. The team is allowed to reset Odin and continue. Odin continues to run the course until time has expired. While the team was hoping to see Odin finish the course, performance-wise Odin compares very well to the competition.
The second test area of the day is run at 12:30. Known as "Area C", this test is designed to confirm that the vehicle can follow precedence at 4 way stops, and can detect road blockages and re-plan a new route accordingly. When the start horn is blown, Odin approaches his first intersection and proceeds as expected. The course circles around and brings Odin back to the same 4-way intersection repeatedly; and repeatedly Odin waits his turn to proceed through the intersection. DARPA throws the first curve ball and blocks a road that Odin expects to travel through. Just as rehearsed, Odin detects the blockage and makes a 3 point U-turn. According to unofficial sources, Odin was either the first, or one of the first, vehicles to complete this test.