The shape of things to come ....... crewless tanks ? last year they could not even get to the first check point !! ..quote .. The DARPA Grand Challenge was the first race of its kind in which autonomous ground vehicles used nothing but onboard sensors and navigation equipment to steer themselves along the desert course in under 10 hours. And unlike traditional vehicle races that include mostly straights and curves, this race included tunnels, mountain switchbacks, lake beds and on- and off-road stretches - similar to routes typical military convoys follow. The race was the second Grand Challenge for DARPA. None of the competitors was successful during the last race, in March 2004, fueling some naysayers' doubts about the suitability of autonomous vehicles for long-range military missions. But following this year's successful race, Tether compared it to the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, N.C., "proving it could be done." ......end quote...
