A team of MIT students and professors have completed the preliminary round in the Defense Advanced Recearch Projects Agency's Urban Challenge competition. Representatives from DARPA visited with the team and their vehicle to see if they would be one of the 30 teams of the current 53 who will compete in the semi-finals in October. From the Urban Challenge website:

the Urban Challenge features autonomous ground vehicles maneuvering in a mock city environment, executing simulated military supply missions while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections, and avoiding obstacles.

The predecessor to the Urban Challenge was the Grand Challenge. The earlier challenge required robotic vehicles to complete an obstacle course on their own – the Urban Challenge ups the ante by including tasks like merging, passing, and navigating in the urban environment. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three finishers – 1st prize is $2 mil, 2nd prize is $1 mil, and a 3rd place finish will nab $500,000.

The MIT vehicle works to overcome the challenges with high-rate video cameras, radars, and an array of laser range scanners. While we often give credit to the MIT crew for striving for the unimaginable goals – like flying cars – they're really charting new ground here. MIT hasn't submitted an entry into either of the previous two DARPA challenges. This year they're doing it with gusto and tricking out a Land Rover for the feat.

Image of the MIT robocar from MIT News Office