### “From Failure to Future: How the First DARPA Grand Challenge Paved the Way for Autonomous Vehicles

No victor emerged. No one completed the course. Still, the inaugural DARPA race made a lasting impression. Although there were no winners, those involved remember the event as the catalyst for today's autonomous vehicle industry. Tony Tether flew over the Mojave Desert in a military helicopter, contemplating the announcement he was about to make to the gathered journalists in Primm, Nevada.

The first-ever DARPA Grand Challenge has ended. Out of the 15 finalists, not a single one managed to complete the 142-mile course through the dusty landscape. In fact, none of them got anywhere near finishing.

The concept of the race and its $1 million reward originated from Tether. This event sparked widespread curiosity across the country in an emerging field of robotics that, up until that point, had been limited to academic researchers, enthusiasts, and the realm of science fiction.

Tether, the head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was worried that his innovative project would be considered a waste of resources after he revealed the embarrassing outcomes. When he arrived, he was straightforward.

"It has come to an end," he announced to the assembled audience on March 13, 2004.

On the contrary, it was merely the start.

Article of Interest

Two decades ago this week, the initial of three competitions brought together a community that propelled the vision of autonomous vehicles into the realm of possibility.

"This moment is historically significant as it marks the transition from theoretical research to initial real-world application," stated Melanie Dumas Grimm, who was a software lead for Team Axion at the time and is currently a technical program manager at the robotaxi company Waymo.

Autonomous vehicles are still far from being commonly used today. However, they are just one example of the advancements originating from the DARPA Grand Challenge. The technology developed for this event has applications in various industries, including aerospace, mining, agriculture, trucking, and freight transport, collectively worth tens of billions of dollars.

The entire journey began with just one goal in mind.

After the Russians successfully launched a satellite into space in October 1957, the Eisenhower administration, feeling the sting of this defeat, established the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) four months later. The agency's goal was to speed up the development of new military technologies.

Former Ford Aerospace Corp. scientist Tether assumed leadership of the federal agency in June 2001, just a few months ahead of the September 11 attacks. His focus was on reducing the number of casualties in armored vehicles and Humvees that were vulnerable to improvised explosive devices.

Recalling an incident, he mentioned, "I remember a young woman getting injured, and I questioned why we have people doing this. These machines should be capable of operating autonomously."

In 1997, the U.S. Department of Transportation experimented with automated highways by embedding nearly 93,000 magnets along a portion of Interstate 15 close to San Diego to direct specially outfitted trucks, buses, and Buick LeSabres.

Tether desired a unique approach—a type of vehicle automation that didn't rely on existing infrastructure. However, he doubted that the traditional government contractors would provide the solutions he sought.

Organizing a contest could be the solution.

Dumas Grimm, along with about six friends, constructed combat robots in her garage in San Diego. These robots were featured in fierce battles on a Comedy Central TV show named "BattleBots." A friend of Grimm's brought up the DARPA Grand Challenge.

"I dismissed it, saying, 'that's not possible,'" Dumas Grimm remarked. With more encouragement, she eventually decided to give it a shot.

While Anthony Levandowski was an industrial engineering student at the University of California, he learned about DARPA through his mother, who was employed by the European Union in Brussels.

News quickly circulated. DARPA organized a gathering at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles a little over a year before the competition. Military personnel in formal attire mixed with over 400 hobbyists, many dressed casually in T-shirts and ripped jeans.

Excitement for an autonomous vehicle competition grew, though an essential individual had yet to arrive.

Years prior to DARPA's involvement, Red Whittaker—a tough Marine veteran and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University—constructed a rover designed to help decontaminate the Three Mile Island nuclear site after its partial meltdown in 1979. This achievement established both Whittaker and the university as key players in the robotics field. Whittaker would have been an obvious candidate for DARPA, had he been aware of the event.

He admitted that he found out about the competition long after it was first announced, which caused him to be late in joining the game.

Whittaker moved swiftly, putting up posters all over campus to attract students. He started preparing a Humvee named Sandstorm to tackle the rough terrain and winding paths of the Mojave Desert. As the race neared, the Carnegie Mellon Red Team emerged as the clear favorite to win.

According to Levandowski, this was designed for individuals such as Whittaker to accomplish and succeed.

Less than a week ahead of the competition, Sandstorm encountered a major obstacle. During a trial, the Humvee overturned, destroying its sensors and harming other essential parts. This was a crushing blow after almost twelve months of effort.

"All your passion and essence are entangled in that disaster," Whittaker remarked. "But you rise and face it. We're hurt, but we're not defeated. We're still in the race."

The Red Team reconstructed their strategy and secured the top spot during the qualifying session at California Speedway, narrowing the competition down to 15 final contenders.

The DARPA Challenge kicked off at Slash X Cafe located in Barstow, California, and covered a distance of 142 miles through the Mojave Desert, concluding just beyond the state border in Primm.

Whittaker and his colleagues, among whom was Chris Urmson, who would later lead Google's self-driving project and become CEO of Aurora Innovation, observed as Sandstorm ventured into the desert, leaving a trail of dust behind.

From the beginning, a sensor that was incorrectly adjusted caused the Humvee to veer to the left. Despite this, Sandstorm managed to stay on track for 7.4 miles. However, as it approached the summit of a steep hill, it drifted off the left edge of the road and got stuck on a ridge. The impact damaged the front half shafts and deflated the two front tires.

All other individuals experienced more difficulties.

Beginning in the sixth position, Team Axiom was stunned when their Jeep, named "Spirit," made it to the initial right turn after starting, only to mysteriously circle back to the starting line.

"Initially, you’re filled with excitement, but then confusion sets in as you wonder, 'What’s happening?,'" recalled Dumas Grimm. "Suddenly, you realize, 'Oh no, it's happening again,' and then, just 10 or 15 seconds later, it's all over."

Levandowski presented the most fascinating entry in the competition, a Yamaha motorcycle named "Ghostrider." It could have been the result of sleepless nights or the effects of a hot morning, but Levandowski neglected to activate a stabilizer that kept Ghostrider balanced at low speeds.

After moving a distance of two feet, it fell

Tether found himself at the microphone, completely at a loss for how to recover from the awkward silence that ensued after he announced, "It's over."

"I was improvising on the spot," he mentioned. "However, I remarked, 'This was our Kitty Hawk moment. At Kitty Hawk, the plane flew for just 18 seconds.'"

The audience appeared to respond positively to the analogy. Motivated by their reaction, Tether pressed on. He lacked a strategy for another competition, had no funding, and did not possess approval from the Department of Defense.

"We're repeating this," he announced. "We'll offer twice the amount."

A year and a half later, DARPA organized a second competition. In the follow-up event held in October 2005, 22 out of the 23 participants exceeded the 7.4 miles that Sandstorm covered in the initial contest. Moreover, five teams managed to finish a reduced 132-mile route.

The foundational phase of self-driving technology had been established.

Levandowski remarked that, similar to many aspects of life, success isn't about achieving perfection on the initial attempt. He emphasized the importance of persistence and ongoing effort in tackling the same issue. He added that it was fortunate no one succeeded, as it provided an opportunity to try again.

Levandowski took on a senior leadership role with Google's Street View and autonomous vehicle initiatives. Currently, he serves as the CEO and co-founder of Pronto, a startup dedicated to developing self-driving technology for autonomous mining trucks. Ghostrider is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution.

Dumas Grimm played a crucial role as the principal architect and software engineer in charge of simulations that were instrumental in the creation of the military’s Predator drone. Over the last five years, she has been employed at Waymo, where she has contributed to the commercial rollout of robotaxis across metro areas like Phoenix, San Francisco, and, starting this month, Los Angeles.

Numerous other individuals rose to become leaders in the industry.

Originating from a farm close to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Whittaker continues to create agricultural robots alongside his work on space exploration technologies. At the age of 75, his enthusiasm remains as intense as ever.

"This triggered something in me, and for some reason, I couldn't settle down," he stated.

DARPA adopted the idea of using challenges in robotics and other areas. Currently, the agency is organizing a competition aimed at developing new autonomous algorithm technologies. According to a DARPA representative, more information will be released in April.

Tether stepped down in 2009. At age 82, he now lives in Falls Church, Virginia. His mind still focuses on innovation, and he keeps an eye on the progress being made in the autonomous vehicle sector, continuing the work he began.

"DARPA is the group that bridges the gap known as the Valley of Death," he explained. "We identify potential breakthroughs, demonstrate their feasibility, and then step aside."

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