On November 3, 2007, over a dozen vehicles navigate through an empty town in Victorville, CA, merging at traffic circles, passing disabled vehicles, avoiding cinder blocks – driving scenarios difficult for mere mortals. But triumph over this urban obstacle course won’t be achieved by humans.
The competitors are ROBOCARS – autonomous, unmanned vehicles using strategies from GPS, lasers, video cameras, and laptops to monitor their surroundings. The teams that perform well are being watched by the greatest minds and deepest pockets of the robotics world; these vehicles are the pioneers of unmanned driving.
