Little Ben: The Ben Franklin Racing Team’s Entry in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge

Abstract

This paper describes “Little Ben,” an autonomous ground vehicle constructed by the Ben Franklin Racing Team for the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge in under a year and for less than $250,000. The sensing, planning, navigation, and actuation systems for Little Ben were carefully designed to meet the performance demands required of an autonomous vehicle traveling in an uncertain urban environment. We incorporated an array of GPS/INS, LIDAR’s, and stereo cameras to provide timely information about the surrounding environment at the appropriate ranges. This sensor information was integrated into a dynamic map that could robustly handle GPS dropouts and errors. Our planning algorithms consisted of a high-level mission planner that used information from the provided RNDF and MDF to select routes, while the lower level planner used the latest dynamic map information to optimize a feasible trajectory to the next waypoint. The vehicle was actuated by a cost-based controller that efficiently handled steering, throttle, and braking maneuvers in both forward and reverse directions. Our software modules were integrated within a hierarchical architecture that allowed rapid development and testing of the system performance. The resulting vehicle was one of six to successfully finish the Urban Challenge.