TECHNOLOGY

Boss is a Chevy Tahoe with over 500,000 lines of code to autonomously navigate in town and in traffic. Boss uses perception, planning and behavioral software to reason about traffic and take appropriate actions while proceeding safely to a destination.

Boss is equipped with more than a dozen lasers, cameras and radars to view the world. High-level route planning determines the best path through a road network. Motion planning requires consideration of the static and dynamic obstacles detected by perception, as well as lane and road boundary information, parking lot boundaries, stop lines, speed limits, and similar requirements. Boss handles surprises such as other vehicles running a stop sign or making sudden stops or turns. Defensive driving skills allow Boss to avoid crashes.

Tartan Racing technology enables Boss to:

• Follow rules of the road
• Detect and track other vehicles at long ranges
• Find a spot and park in a parking lot
• Obey intersection precedence rules
• Follow vehicles at a safe distance
• React to dynamic conditions like blocked roads or broken-down vehicles

Active safety can play a huge role in countering accidents from cell phone usage, drowsiness and drinking. Human payoffs for Urban Challenge technology include improved safety, and enhanced driving experience.