From Motorcycle to Chevy Bolt: A Journey with MATLAB in Autonomous Vehicles and Robots Research

Hear about our two decades of lessons learned and experience with autonomous vehicle and robot navigation through four case studies in chronical order. We started our journey by developing the world’s first autonomous motorcycle to participate in the DARPA Grand Challenges (DGCs) 2004 and 2005. We developed perception, vehicle navigation, and control algorithms for this non-minimum phase system to navigate in a desert terrain. Following DGC, we developed intelligent navigation algorithms for skid-steered vehicles. Collaborating with Johnson Space Center, we have also developed localization and mapping algorithms for NASA Robonaut, a humanoid robot serving on the International Space Station. Most recently, our students have successfully competed in the first GM/SAE Autodrive Challenge. MATLAB^® has been an irreplaceable toolset and an integral part of our developing experience.