TORC Applying Autonomous Vehicle Technologies to the Mining and Construction Industries

TORC is working with Caterpillar Inc. to research the application of advanced autonomous vehicle technologies for future applications in mining and construction.

Blacksburg, VA – June 12, 2008 – TORC Technologies (www.torctech.com) is researching the application of advanced autonomous vehicle technologies with Caterpillar Inc. for future applications in mining and construction. Autonomous technologies have great potential to increase productivity and efficiency in both the mining and construction industries.

As a member of Team VictorTango, TORC was the lead software developer for “Odin,” the fully autonomous Ford Escape Hybrid that finished third in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, navigating approximately 60 miles of urban traffic situations in just under four and half hours. TORC is commercializing similar autonomous packages for use in different industry applications. At this time, TORC is performing research activities with Caterpillar Inc. on applying the autonomous vehicle technologies proven successful in the DARPA Urban Challenge.

Building on the success and support Caterpillar provided to team VictorTango’s entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge, TORC and Caterpillar research team are collaborating to transfer autonomous vehicle technologies to Caterpillar’s future applications in mining and construction.

About TORC Technologies, LLC

TORC Technologies is automating dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks by commercializing intelligent robotic technologies into interoperable off-the-shelf products, providing the essential building blocks for rapidly enabling autonomy on virtually any platform. The TORC product line offers an integrated set of functionalities necessary for implementing varying levels of autonomous operation. From teleoperation to autonomy, the modular solutions from TORC can increase your speed to market while reducing risks and development costs.

Media Contact:
David Cutter, Marketing Manager
cutter@torctech.com
TORC Technologies, LLC
540-443-9262 x 4256