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DARPA Urban Challenge Learn about the DARPA Urban Challenge.
Pentagon's DARPA robotic challenge: Dodge little old ladies, lead foots Seven months after an unmanned Volkswagen successfully drove itself over the rugged desert, the Pentagon is sponsoring another challenge for self-driving vehicles that can weave through congested city traffic without causing an accident. The contest, to be held in November 2007, will award $2 million to the first vehicle to complete the 60-mile, simulated urban course. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, created the latest challenge to spur development of vehicles that could be used in the battlefield without any sort of remote control. Unlike previous DARPA contests, in which the winner takes all, second-place finishers will get $500,000 while third place will receive $250,000. Full Story AP/CNN_ 5/3/06 October, 2005 Stanford team clinches top spot in $2 million DARPA challenge A Stanford University team won a $2 million prize on Sunday for sending a modified Volkswagen across 132 miles of rugged desert, guided only by sensors and computers in a race the Pentagon hopes will lead to a technological breakthrough in warfare. Twenty-three driverless vehicles were sent into the Mojave Desert on Saturday in a race sponsored by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA. After extending the race a day to allow a slow-moving robotic vehicle to finish, the Stanford University vehicle, known as Stanley, was declared the winner of the Grand Challenge with the quickest race time of six hours and 54 minutes. DARPA sponsored the race to spur development of driverless vehicles that one day could carry water, fuel and other supplies for the U.S. military in war zones. In last year's inaugural race, called the Grand Challenge, every machine failed within sight of the starting line. The Pentagon decided to double the prize and hold the event again this year. Full Story Reuters_ 10/10/05 Stanford vehicle 1st to finish DARPA robot race A customized Volkswagen SUV created by Stanford University on Saturday became the first driverless vehicle to cross the finish line of a $2 million Pentagon-sponsored robot race across the rugged Mojave Desert. The race announcer did not immediately declare a winner because 22 out of the 23 robots left the starting line at staggered times at dawn, racing against the clock rather than each other. The Volkswagen robot dubbed "Stanley" finished the course in less than 7 1/2 hours. Four other robots remained on the course. Last year's much-hyped inaugural robot race ended without a winner when all the self-navigating vehicles broke down shortly after leaving the starting gate. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, plans to award $2 million to the first vehicle to cover the race in less than 10 hours. The taxpayer-funded race was intended to spur innovation and development of remote control-free robots that could be used in the battlefield. Full Story AP/Forbes_ 10/8/05 Robot vehicles
gather to race in U.S. desert again Twenty robotic vehicles including modified SUVs, dune buggies and one motorcycle return to the Nevada desert this weekend to try to win a $2 million prize from the Pentagon for crossing 150 miles of hills, valleys, rocks, tumbleweeds and man-made obstacles. Last year, in the inaugural race sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, no machine made it beyond sight of the starting line in the challenge designed to promote the development of driverless vehicles that one day could carry supplies for the U.S. military in war zones. "We can now see a future where these vehicles will take the place of soldiers in harm's way," said Ron Kurjanowicz, program manager of the DARPA Grand Challenge race. FULL STORY_ Reuters 10/5/05 Robot Humvee
drives for 7 hours as prep for $2 million DARPA Challenge March 2004 Early problems
end $1 million DARPA robot race across Mojave Desert 15 teams qualify
for today's DARPA Mojave robot race Robot desert race
faces spluttering start Robot Desert Classic
begins this weekend Texas Instruments and Team D.A.D.
collaborate on self-navigating unmanned vehicles for U.S. government's
Grand Challenge
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