Robot vehicles gather to race in US desert again

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Will anyone manage to get close to the finish line this time?

Twenty robotic vehicles including modified SUVs, dune buggies and one motorcycle return to the Nevada desert this weekend to try to win a US$2 million prize from the Pentagon for crossing 150 miles (240 km) 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 US 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.

The 20 finalists will be selected on Wednesday at a qualifying event in the California desert featuring 43 teams culled from nearly 200 applicants. The teams include inventors, electricians, university students and even a high school team.

At the final event in Primm, Nevada, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Las Vegas, organisers are setting up an obstacle course that will be disclosed to participants on Saturday, the day of the race. The 10-hour competition starts and ends in Primm.

Guided by devices such as computers, cameras, infrared sensors and lasers, the vehicles must be fully autonomous, meaning they cannot be remote-controlled by humans.

Winners must avoid the obstacles and finish the race. They also will be judged on their time.


Undeterred

Back this year is "Ghost Rider", a motorcycle studded with sensors and computers. It toppled over 3 feet (1 metre) beyond the starting line last year.

Many of the vehicles are based on sport utility vehicles, which offer off-road capabilities and plenty of internal space to pack in electronic equipment.

Sebastian Thrun, leader of the Stanford University team that is entering a modified Volkswagen Touareg SUV, said that this year's race will likely produce a winner.

"Prepare to be blown away," Thrun said.

About 40 students from Palos Verdes High School in California aim to be the only high school team in the running with a modified SUV dubbed "Doom Buggy."

Some teams, funded by corporate sponsors, have already spent millions of dollars preparing their vehicles. Others have managed to join with only several thousand dollars in funding.

The Pentagon agency, which chose the desert because US forces are confronting similar terrain in Iraq, says it would probably stage another race if no one crosses the finish line again.

Either way, participants say they are confident of a future in which, just like in science-fiction movies, robotic vehicles rule the road.

"It's a no-brainer that 50 to 60 years from now, cars will drive themselves," Stanford's Thrun said.

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