While researching out the DARPA challenge, I came across the Red Team (CMU) logs that were kept by Professor William "Red" Whittaker, an acknowledged leader in the field of mobile robotics.. I found it interesting since as the CMU team director, his philosopy would have a profound effect on the entire team. BTW, the Red Team vehicle got about 7.2 miles on the approximately 160 mile course, the farthest of any Grand Challenge competitor.

How the project was organized is fascinating. Their mission statement is at http://www.redteamracing.org/about/mission.shtml. The complete logs are at http://www.redteamracing.org/news/racelogs.shtml.

If you are interested, http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/d/da/darpa_grand_challen... has a number of links on the teams who entered the competition.

************

Thursday, 13 March, 2003 Day 1

Our run in the LA Vegas robot race will be history a year from tonight. We are deliberating whether to race as CMU, as a dedicated 501c3, as a racing syndicate or as a corporate alliance, but we are not deliberating the decision to race. We are resolved to participate. We are using the “Red” team as an informal identity and placeholder as we formulate and formalize the initiative.

The race defies prevailing technology, and many hold that the challenge prize is unwinnable in our time. We race to put winning technology in the winner’s circle, to engage a generation of youth, to inspire ourselves and our world, and to transform the view of what is possible.

The flyer we are using for this week’s conversation is attached. I introduced our story at a conference Sunday, spoke to companies this week, and I’ll speak with alumni in Philly this Saturday.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. --- Goethe

********************

Thursday, 20 March, 2003

51 weeks remain to race day

Our institutional identity for participation in the LA-Vegas robot race is the “Red” team led by CMU. I’ve communicated with 500 people from technologists and students to prospective partners, benefactors, administration and alumni. Enthusiasm runs high. We move from commitment to formulation.

We’ll proceed in four phases: Teaming, Funding, Technology Dragnet and Design—Through May 03 Component Development, Procurement and Subsystem Integration—Through Aug 03 Interfacing, System integration, Rollout—Through Nov 03 Rework, Field Testing, Race—Through Mar 04

Associates will include companies with expertise in computing, electronics, sensing, mapping, planning, mobility and racing. Sponsors will include organizations with interest in retail, entertainment, racing, services, technology, education and future robotics opportunities.

By next Thursday we will declare our intention beyond the walls of CMU, invite participation, initiate fundraising, structure a directorate, and troll for talent.

The beginning is the most important part of the work. -- Plato

********************

Tuesday, 25 March, 2003

Red Team attention turns to teambuilding and fundraising.

The strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack. – Rudyard Kipling

A powerpoint presentation for team promotion includes imagery and videos of legacy robots as a context for our race story. CMU advancement office has a copy of this draft, and I’ll follow up to polish the presentation to serve our teambuilding and fundraising purposes.

We distributed a great HP ad that occupies two pages of Newsweek. The image shows HP’s Formula 1 racecar with this text: “Our 200 mph laboratory. As the principal sponsor of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, HP provides the supercomputer that is used to design the car and conduct thousands of race simulations, as well as the servers and notebooks used to analyze data that enable the team to make precise adjustments. It’s mission-critical computing for fast-moving enterprises, and then some. HP = everything is possible”

“HP Invent” is emblazoned on the cowling. The sponsorship page on the HP website says that a condition of HP sponsorship is that they are the exclusive IT partner.

It has been suggested that we organize around a consortium model under CMU auspice. The governing documents for each partner would be a license agreement and a few paragraphs that lay out quid pro quo.

Others suggest a model of five to ten principal partners to participate at the million-dollar level. Our model is to attract one principal per category for categories like automotive, aerospace, IT, computing hardware, heavy equipment, broadcast, electronics, etc. Red spoke with two candidate principals.

We seek contacts for principal partners. We seek access and opportunities to tell our story anywhere, anytime.

********************

Sunday, 30 March, 2003

The conversation of the Red Team is buzzing. More connections are being generated than pursued.

Agreements for making fundraising communications are accepted and in action.

Please make the requests…. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”….. Mahatma Gandhi

We have a thin draft of Red Team program in the form of scope, schedule and budget

We have accepted a Scientific American proposal to publish “A Year in the Life of the Red Team” before race day next March. Scientific American also offers a pointer to National Geographic as the Red Team documentary producer.

17 days down; 348 days to Las Vegas