SDC Meetup #12

1. Adrian Bedford, Parkopedia - Affordable Adventures in Accurate RTK with the ArduSimple
   Recent advance in chip technology by an ETH spinout company Ublox, have made access to RTK GNSS solutions 1 to 2 orders of magnitude cheaper than the market leaders like OXTS. Parkopedia have recently experimented with this system and think the whole autonomous development community could benefit from the knowledge we have gained, both in what the system can offer you, but also its limitations.

The first part of the talk will be an explanation of what "RTK" is and why it is so precise. The second part will be a exposition of how Parkopedia uses the ArduSimple system to determine the exact location of the exits and entrances to our maps.

The details will cover solutions to problems of interacting with the NMEA ROS node, how to connect correctly to an NTRIP correction server under Linux, and how to record the raw Ublox signals for post processing.

2. Andrew Bradley, Oxford Brookes - Autonomous Vehicles: Racing and Research
   The advent of autonomous vehicles has sparked excitement in developing self-driving racing cars. Oxford Brookes University (OBU) has for many years run the UK's most successful Formula Student racing team, and taught many of the engineers working in Formula 1. Now OBU has a team working closely alongside the Autonomous Driving research group, working hard to develop a fully self-driving racing car.

This talk will feature some of the challenges faced in developing a self-driving racing car; perception, localisation, path planning, vehicle control, and it will outline some of the live research projects which go hand-in-hand with these.

3. Maysun Hassanaly and Lovedeep Brar - Safety methods for autonomous vehicle testing
   The Autonomous Vehicle development and testing is a fast-moving and uncertain environment, which makes safety the number one priority. The application of robust Systems Engineering processes in autonomous systems development is key to ensure that all aspects and interactions in such systems are clearly defined, integrated, evaluated, tested and maintained thus improving the ability to deliver a safe, efficient and innovative system.

The Connected Places Catapult (CPC) use their expertise in systems requirements, safety management, and verification and validation working through the V lifecycle to understand the complexity of emerging multi-modal and automated transport systems, same expertise and approach is applied to develop the AVP (Autonomous Valet Parking) system.

Autonomous Vehicles have the potential to make transportation more accessible and equitable along with ensuring the safety of passengers, reduce road congestion, drive smarter and in more sustainable way. By implementing a robust Systems Engineering process, the Autonomous vehicle industry can mitigate risks and drive society safely into the future.

Agenda:

6:30 - 7pm Networking, pizza, drinks

7 - 7:30pm Adrian Bedford

7:30-8:00pm Andrew Bradley

8 - 8:30pm Maysun Hassanaly and Lovedeep Brar

8:30pm+ Q&A and networking

Please note the new address - Parkopedia has moved!