$1 million robot car race is on

Two St. Louisans have built a robot car that thinks for itself. This month, they find out whether it works well enough to win a $1 million prize.

Last November, Young Saint Louis.com told the story of St. Louisans' Bill Zimmerly and Warren Williams. The two are adults now, but YSL.com thought their story was a good object lesson in perseverance for kids.

And Zimmerly's interest in computers and Williams' in manufacturing dated all the way back to when they were your ages.

They are now entered in a Department of Defense competition to build a robot car that can go long distances with no driver and no remote control.

The final course will be 250 miles from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Monday, March 8. The St. Louisans won a lottery drawing and their vehicle will be the first to try the course.

The St. Louis entry missed its March 8 start time because of a faulty radar unit. (YSL.com will give a recap of the trial action in its April edition, which goes on-line April 1.)

The DOD wants a military vehicle that can conduct missions with no human intervention.

Zimmerly and Williams have been underdog from the beginning of the competition. They are the smallest team and have the least amount of financing.

Other competitors include such research powerhouses as Carnegie Mellon University and California Institute of Technology.

Those institutions have big research facilities and staff and huge budgets.

The two have given their vehicle the name 'Ladibug.' Part of the reason for that name is that, when the vehicle's domed top is in place, it'll look like a giant ladybug.

The St. Louis entry was built in William's garage. Work included lots of night and weekend hours because both men have "day jobs."

One night in February, they worked "an all-nighter" to do vehicle modifications. The next day, Williams got a friend to fly him to Chicago to find out from the manufacturer why the radar equipment wasn't "seeing" right.

Williams flew back the same day because he had to be at his regular job Monday morning.

Their vehicle started out as a new Kawasaki ATV. But, the final robot doesn't look much like the original.

All the sheet metal and seats were gone. After all, there is no driver.

The four wheels have been replaced by treads, like those on military tanks. The top looks like a big mushroom. Cover segments can extend to right the vehicle if it tipped over.

They also modified or replaced the gear shift, brakes and steering

Customized radar and sonar are the vehicle's "eyes" and "ears." The sensors tell the on-board computer where the obstacles are. The computer moves controls to change course.

The vehicle "knows" where it is because the computer has a GPS system. The computer matches GPS satellite messages against latest digital maps of the LA-to-Los Vegas route.

Field-testing the robot vehicle wasn't easy because of St. Louis' winter weather.

Zimmerly and Williams left for California very early in March. That will give them a couple days for outdoor testing in much warmer climate.

One thing they need to check are the actual test routes. Williams said, "There are seven possible routes and we won't know until the last minute which one will be used."

They then need to load the proper route data into the computer. That way, the computer can compare the GPS satellite signals to the actual route.

Although the two men don't have much money, they have been getting substantial help through donations and volunteer labor.

Two men from Williams' "day job" are helping with design modifications. Brian Bean helps fabricate metal and plastic parts while Chris Milan is helping align systems.

Kawasaki has donating two more ATVs for use as transportation at the California test site. In addition, they will have technicians on site to fine-tune the robot.

The team has use of a donated 36-foot motor home. Another sponsor provided an enclosed trailer to take the robot vehicle to California.

Williams said the crew plans to live in the motor home so they can be close to their robot at all times. "That's my life work there. I don't want to be very far away from it," he said.

(If you'd like more information about the robot car competition, you can check the St. Louis team's website at www.iidbs.com/phantasm.zkb.)