CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
14 January 2008
Events News
Robotic Car Developer Chris Urmson of Carnegie Mellon to Keynote at Magma’s MUSIC Users Conference
Magma® Design Automation, Inc. announced that one of the leading figures in robot navigation will deliver the keynote address at next month’s MUSIC (Magma Users Summit on Integrated Circuits), Magma’s users conference. Chris Urmson is director of technology for Carnegie Mellon University’s Tartan Racing and will appear at MUSIC Feb. 28 to discuss “Boss,” the autonomous vehicle his team developed. Boss was demonstrated at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and won the $2 million 2007 DARPA Challenge.
“Boss is the result of a year and a half of focused effort by a dedicated team,” Urmson said. “Speaking at MUSIC is an opportunity for me to share some insight about their work with designers who understand what it’s like to have to develop something great when you can only imagine it.” Urmson’s keynote address is expected to include details of the DARPA Urban Challenge, describe Boss’ overall system architecture and highlight the vehicle’s many component technologies. Boss is a Chevy Tahoe with more than 300,000 lines of code, capable of autonomously navigating in town and in traffic. It is equipped with more than a dozen lasers, cameras and radar systems to view the world. It was demonstrated on NBC’s “Today” show at CES last week – to view “Today” show personality Al Roker riding in Boss go online at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22537113#22537113.
"The use of semiconductors to improve safety, entertainment, navigation and driving automation in automotive applications is rapidly increasing,” said Rajeev Madhavan, chairman and CEO of Magma Design Automation. "I am sure Dr. Urmson's discussion of the challenges and solutions in building such an extremely complex automobile will be fascinating to the Magma user community, which is very familiar with building exciting, leading-edge applications."
Urmson will deliver his MUSIC keynote Feb. 28. To register or submit a paper for the conference visit Magma online at http://www.magma-da.com/MUSIC.html.
DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) designed the Urban Challenge to develop autonomous driving skills for city streets, eventually leading to cars that drive themselves. The race required automated vehicles to travel 60 miles of streets in a mock urban setting. To succeed, vehicles must drive completely on their own – without drivers or remote control. Cars must stay in their lanes, negotiate intersections, drive in traffic and follow rules of the road – with only computers at the wheel.
“Boss is a great example of how pushing technology can improve our lives,” Urmson said. “Human payoffs from this technology include improved safety and an enhanced driving experience.”
Urmson was previously a robotics research scientist with SAIC and an adjunct faculty member of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon. He developed several robotic navigation architectures and software systems currently in use by Carnegie Mellon University, NASA JPL and NASA Ames. He has made significant contributions to robot development with an emphasis on software development and system integration. He earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon and a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba. Urmson has earned a variety of corporate and academic awards, including being named a Siebel Scholar, and receiving technology innovation awards from Boeing Phantom Works and SAIC.
About MUSIC
MUSIC – Magma Users Summit on Integrated Circuits – provides a forum for Magma users to exchange ideas, discuss common problems and explore solutions related to the design and manufacturing of integrated circuits, as well as offering users an opportunity to meet with Magma staff and product experts. The MUSIC program covers the key elements of semiconductor design, from system-level design to tapeout. For more information on MUSIC visit Magma online at http://www.magma-da.com/MUSIC.html.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.