Ody-Era Team Members



The Ody-Era team is as unique as their vehicle.

Firstly, it is a team of amateurs, whose regular jobs have nothing to do with building autonomous vehicles.

More importantly, their enthusiasm is so great that they have effectively blinded themselves from reality ... the fact that they are a team of amateurs on a shoe-string budget competing against professional and top-ranked university teams, some with multi-million dollar resources and hundreds of support staff. The Ody-Era team is fully aware that the statistical probability of winning the Urban Challenge against all these odds is near zero, but it is still ploughing ahead and making remarkable progress!

Meet the team of dreamers who believe they can make the impossible possible:


Core Members


Rick Bletsis (Team Leader and Mechanical Engineer)

As the team leader of a project of this magnitude, Rick has been extremely busy dealing with all kinds of issues. — From being the primary DARPA contact to developing brake-throttle algorithms; from selecting the best components for the job (including the Mariner Hybrid SUV), procuring them, creating all the custom mechanical designs, to working with the media and sponsors — Rick is doing the job of several individuals. Now throw in the shoestring budget that he has to work on and you will wonder how he does it all.

Rick has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He has been working at Delphi for over two decades as a mechanical analysis engineer. An instrument-rated private pilot with considerable flying time, Rick has even landed inside the Grand Canyon on an inclined one-way dirt airstrip with a cliff at the other end. Rick is also a veteran hiker, having conquered Half Dome and many other famous peaks, including some on remote Greek Islands. In the spirit of Ody-Era, he just made a pilgrimage to the island of Samothrace and climbed the 5200ft peak from where Poseidon was watching Odysseus win over Ilium. His next trek will be Mount Olympus!


Mahesh Chengalva (Vision/Navigation Algorithms and Software Engineer)

No, he is not a software engineer in real life. He's got a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Ohio State University. He had to take on the role of a software engineer only when the team was advised by a software guru that it was not possible to write software for a project of this magnitude within the given time and resource constraints. Mahesh has created a software called 'Hanuman' that integrates GPS, vision and radar along with artificial intelligence in the form of route-finding algorithms to form the core of Ody-Era's brain. This software has taken the team all the way to the upcoming semi-finals.

Mahesh works as a mechanical engineer at Delphi in Kokomo, Indiana, specializing in the area of design and reliability of microelectronics. He does not have much prior experience with navigation algorithms either. But GPS is something he does not leave home without. An avid hiker, he has covered numerous trails and made maps of these trails utilizing GPS technology. Check out his hiking website for more information. As an immigrant to the US, Mahesh now considers Kokomo, Indiana, as his home town. When not working on autonomous vehicles, hiking, stargazing or watching the History Channel, he keeps busy with all kinds of cool tech. stuff with his kids, who like to hang out in his "lab".


Bernie Moss (Electrical Engineer)

The hands down favorite in designing the electrical systems of Ody-Era is Bernie, whom the team could not do without. The clarity in his documentation is incomparable, so telecommuting out of Southern California makes it a breeze for his teammates in Kokomo to bring his designs to life. Bernie has 25 years of hardware design experience in commercial and military vehicle applications. Past projects include electronics for Indy-cars that were winning most races in the 1990’s, development of controllers for GM automotive programs, stabilization electronics and portable testers for Light Armored Vehicle turrets and Chassis Electronics/ Embedded Diagnostics for the Stryker military vehicle.

Bernie has an MSEE (Control Systems) degree from the University of Lowell, Lowell, MA. He worked at Delco Systems Operations from 1984 until recently in the capacity of electrical/systems engineer. When he needs to recharge his creative mind, he enjoys mountain biking and hiking around Santa Barbara, California, where he resides – Bernie is one lucky dude. If that were not enough, he spends each September in Naxos – the Greek island of Dionysus (the mythical god of wine), where the Athenian hero Thesseus visited to relax after slaying the Minotaur monster.


Ron Webster (Technician)

A project of this magnitude requires a master technician and Ron is the ideal guy for the job. From soldering microscopic solder joints to disassembling a truck engine, Ron can do it all. Not just do it, but do it right the first time, all the time! Just dont rush him though, as he is a strong believer in quality over quantity. With responsibilities that include both mechanical and electrical work on the Ody-Era vehicle, Ron makes custom harnesses to exacting specifications, tests various hardware components and ensures that every single solder joint that he makes has lasting integrity. It's thanks to Ron that every single wire added to the vehicle goes exactly where it was intended.

In Ron's regular job at Delphi in Kokomo, Indiana, where he has worked for the past 14 years, he runs the Mechanical Analysis Lab where the equipment ranges from vibration shaker systems to infrared imagers. As a long-time motorcycle enthusiast, he has driven just about every type of bike out there and is a valuable resource for anyone considering a motorcycle purchase. He is also a great fan of electric vehicles. A keen outdoorsman, Ron will not pass up on any opportunity to go hiking. It may surprise some that Ron is a budding philosopher, as much at ease with discussing ten-dimensional spaces or after-life scenarios, as he is with soldering wire A to pin B.


Mac Gray (Fabrication)

When you need fabrication/repair/machine work - whether it is thin sheet metal or a harvesting machine the size of a house - Mac's the man. With customers ranging from local farmers to large customers like Caterpillar, Oerlikon Fairfield, Tyson Fresh Meats and Fastenal, to name a few, Mac's shop caters to a variety of customer requests. So it is no surprise that the Ody-Era team always turns to Mac for the numerous custom modifications and fabrications required in a project of this nature. Mac's shop is also the site where the 1:3 scale prototye of the Ody-Era vehicle (called MOE) made its first run.

A life-long resident of Caroll County in central Indiana, Mac has a background career in agriculture. He opened his own local metal fabrication and machine shop located on his farm. Not only did he construct his own workshop, but also dug up a medium-sized lake nearby to provide a scenic backdrop to his workshop, water sports in summer and an ice-skating rink in winter! With his house located just across the workshop, Mac certainly has the shortest commute to work amongst all the team members. Golfing is Mac's activity of choice for relaxation over the weekends.


Steve Kritikos (Team Finances and Logistics)

Stavros (a.k.a. Steve) Kritikos lives in Lebanon NH and is a successful businessman in the food industry. He has started several restaurants in New England and is now in the process of expanding into the Far East.

Despite the very high risk associated with the DARPA Urban Challenge competition, Steve shares the vision of the rest of the Ody-Era team members in creating a low-cost autonomous vehicle. Along with that comes the rare opportunity of being involved with one of the technologies of tomorrow, with a bunch of fine people driving it. He finds this to be rewarding in itself and has thus taken the lead in providing much of the funding of the team. He believes in the straightforward approach the team has taken, which has tackled most of the immensely complex problems inherent in this type of competition and has already witnessed its success at a tiny fraction of the cost compared to large, well-funded teams.



Extended Team Members


Eric Miller (Electrical Engineer)

Eric has brought expertise in embedded controllers and programming to the Ody-Era team. He has responsibility for throttle/brake control and embedded microcontroller communication. In addition, his years of computer expertise have been invaluable in troubleshooting problems related to the PC systems. His experience in automotive electronics has been important in the setup of the vehicle.

Eric Miller, an Indiana native, is currently employed by Delphi Corporation in Kokomo, IN. He graduated with a BS in Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2004. While attending Purdue, he participated in the Purdue Formula SAE team, which builds an open wheel style race car from scratch to compete with other schools around the world in Pontiac, Michigan. Eric's current assignment at Delphi is in the Active Safety Forward Engineering group.

In his personal time, he is an avid automotive enthusiast and enjoys working on his personal as well as friends' vehicles. Eric has competed in SCCA Autocross events as well as a Skip Barber Racing school class.


Gerry VanHorn (Systems Engineer)

An autonomous vehicle invariably consists of multiple sensor systems, each talking its own language. To get all of these devices connected to a single computer system is easier said than done and can be a serious roadblock for even experienced engineers. Gerry's unique skills as a systems engineer at Delphi enable him to bring even the most stubbornly aloof sensor system back to the negotiating table.

Gerry's primary experience is with embedded software development as well as PC application development for the SAINT2, which is a serial communications interface device. The Ody-Era autonomous vehicle is using a SAINT2 box for interfacing with the Delphi radars that form an essential component of its suite of sensors.

A resident of Lafayette, Indiana, Gerry enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, bowling and watching football. He is excited to be part of a team that has qualified for the semi-finals of the DARPA Grand Challenge.



The Ody-Era team is grateful to the following individuals who are either currently assisting the team, or who have provided such assistance in the past. The following is a listing of these individuals in alphabetical order:


Bill Hanna
Brian May
C. Sitapati Rao
Chuck Duncan
Debbie Poppas
Dennis Miller
Derek Packard
Eric Jun
Gary Backs
Jay Wyrick
Jeff Morin
John Pimley
Julanne Dahlquist
Kenny House
Kirk McClure
Mark Lynn
Mark Swain
Michael Cavanaugh
Michael Ray
Michael Reed
Patrick Davis
Phil Smith
Professor Panos Linos
Randy Brunts
Rob Siegfred
Rod Lawrence
Roy Fildes
Scott Wendling
Steve Klein
Steve Rohr
Suresh Chengalva
Tom Banaszak
Walt Kosiak
Ward Everly



If you need more information, feel free to contact the Ody-Era team at odyera2007@yahoo.com.