November 3, 2005
Applanix POS LV Steers CMU Engineers to Double Podium Finish in DARPA Unmanned Vehicle Race

RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO – After a close race to the finish line, Applanix joins Carnegie Mellon University in celebrating an impressive second and third place finish of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Using Applanix POS LV (Position and Orientation System, Land Vehicles) integrated Inertial/GPS technology as part of their on-board navigation systems, the Carnegie Melon University (CMU) Red Team’s "Sandstorm" and Red Too Team’s "H1ghlander" vehicles both successfully completed the 132.2 mile on-road/off-road course.

This year’s DARPA Grand Challenge was a driverless desert race with a $2 million dollar prize. The team, whose autonomous ground vehicle crossed the finish line first, within 10 hours, received the prize. The route crisscrossed a desert range in Primm, Nevada that featured natural and man-made obstacles, including long tunnels designed to block GPS signals, power line poles, sharp turns, cattle guards, mixed road surfaces, and narrow crossings. The exact route was revealed to participants just two hours before the event, which began at dawn so that low sun angles would test optical sensors.

In order to guide the unmanned vehicles through the desert course, the Applanix POS LV position and orientation system was integrated with scanning lasers, cameras, and radar technology to provide real time positioning and vehicle dynamics. Another CMU Hummer named "Topographer" was equipped with a laser scanner and POS LV to generate detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) for route preplanning and simulation purposes. Applanix technology was a key component in generating accurate positioning and orientation data along the course and allowed vehicles to confidently rely on inertial navigation when going through tunnels where GPS reception was obstructed. While other competitors encountered difficulties and approached such obstacles with hesitation, the Red Team vehicles were able to maneuver effectively in tight quarters at impressive speeds given such challenging GPS conditions.

Of the 43 vehicles that entered the competition only 20 successfully qualified to race, and of those just five vehicles completed the course. Of these, only four actually had recorded times as the fifth vehicle went over the 10 hour time limit. In comparison, the greatest distance traveled at last year’s event was only 7.6 miles.

"This achievement is not just the result of the technical prowess so evident at CMU and Applanix, but it is also a testament to the visionary thinking and passionate drive for excellence which has been exemplified by our partnership since day one," stated Louis Nastro, Director of Land Products for Applanix. "The Red Team has made history by being the only competitors to finish strong with two vehicles. This demonstrates that both are robust in design and able to navigate confidently due to the POS LV."

About Applanix Corporation
Applanix, a Trimble Company (NASDAQ: TRMB), develops, manufactures, sells and supports products and solutions for Mobile Mapping and Positioning. Applanix’ Position and Orientation Systems ( POS) are used in a variety of applications, including road profiling, GIS data acquisition, aerial surveying and mapping, railroad track maintenance and seafloor mapping. Established in 1991, Applanix strives to support customers around the world with exceptional service.

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