Rip Saw UGV Tank Fast as a Motorcycle, Yours For Only $200,000

Adrian Covert — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:46:05 EST

First introduced in 2005, the Rip Saw is about to hit the market with a $200,000 price tag. The custom-built UGV can hit 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, go 80 mph, and can maneuver over any surface or terrain a tank can. And the video is pretty good; watch as it drives through a barn as if it were the cardboard box your handset came in.

The privately funded Rip Saw was first built by the Howe brothers for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Though the Rip Saw didn't win, its video certainly turned some heads, enough to find funding to build more than one. I normally don't get too excited about military shit like this, but any machine that can obliterate an wood shack with ease and turn donuts on snow wins my heart. Check out the 2005 teaser vid to see what I mean. [Howe and Howe via Red Ferret via Geekologie]

Junior the Passat to Navigate City Streets, Sans Driver

Adam Frucci — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:47:59 EDT

Stanford's entry in the DARPA Grand Challenge, the competition for self-driving vehicles, is this tricked-out VW Passat. Stanford's team is worth watching as their robo-Toureg from the last challenge came out the winner.

This year's challenge is in an urban environment, and it has driverless cars navigating their way through streets and intersections with traffic. Things seem to be progressing along swimmingly for the Passat lovingly named Junior, as he managed to pass a bunch of preliminary tests yesterday that involved making his way through a busy intersection and then around a parked car. I look forward to the day when robocars can chauffeur me around, which I assume is the goal of this contest. –Adam Frucci

Driver Not Included in This Performance Test [NY Times]

Gizmodo: darpa grand challenge

Rip Saw UGV Tank Fast as a Motorcycle, Yours For Only $200,000

Junior the Passat to Navigate City Streets, Sans Driver