The University of Michigan is collaborating with the Active Safety research group at Ford Motor Company to develop 3D mapping algorithms within the context of autonomous vehicle perception. The goal is to have a vehicle sense its environment both for local navigation and dynamic obstacle avoidance. These algorithms are tentatively slated to be demonstrated by the Intelligent Vehicle Safety Technology (IVST) team in the 2007 DARPA Urban Grand Challenge. This challenge requires that an automobile autonomously navigate a dynamic urban environment traveling over 60 miles in less than 6 hours.
An open post-doctoral position is available at the University of Michigan to work on this project. This is a great opportunity to have high-impact on a high visibility project — an ideal opportunity for someone looking to launch an academic research career. The project focus is on learning a three dimensional representation of an unstructured dynamic urban environment by an autonomous mobile robot. Our group is charged with developing a real-time mapping and dynamic obstacle detection and tracking capability using a newly developed High-Definition Lidar (i.e., a 360 degree laser scanner). More details about this sensor are posted here: http://www.ghostriderrobot.com/hdlidar
The ideal candidate should have a background in mobile robotics and be experienced with research in the field of mapping. Strong programming skills in Matlab, C/C++ and knowledge of Linux are required. Possible additional assets are experiences with embedded hardware and software, know-how about off-the-shelf sensors for localization and obstacle sensing, or previous research in the area of SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping). Some experience with project management is also desirable.
This position is available immediately for a 16 month appointment with renewal based upon performance and funding availability. A yearly salary of $45k plus benefits is included. Applicants should forward a statement of objective, vita, contact information for three references, and several recent publications to:
Prof. Ryan M. Eustice
Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
University of Michigan
email: eustice@umich.edu
phone: 734.647.9411 fax: 734.936.8820
web: www.umich.edu/~eustice
snail: 2600 Draper Dr.; Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2145