SAN JOSE, Calif.-Mobile satellite services company Globalstar has been chosen to provide real-time vehicle tracking for a driverless vehicle competition sponsored by the U.S. government’s Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) taking place this month in the Mojave Desert in California.
For the DARPA Grand Challenge, 25 vehicles will attempt to navigate a 250-mile desert course using computer-processing and navigation, without the help of a driver. Globalstar’s satellite services will be used to provide real-time vehicle position information and voice communication for competition officials and control vehicles. Satellite service is ideal in the remote desert area, since conventional wireless and cellular communications networks do not exist there, according to Globalstar.
“Globalstar’s ability to provide dependable communications-no matter where these vehicles go-will play a key role in helping us conduct this event smoothly, while also providing up-to-the-minute competition progress reports to spectators and online observers,” said Anthony Tether, director of DARPA.
