‘Aggressive but safe’ SUV wins robotic street race

November 5, 2007 | Source: NewScientist.com news service

“Boss,” a vehicle developed at Carnegie Mellon University, was declared the winner of a $2 million prize in DARPA’s urban robot car race on Sunday.

It travelled autonomously through traffic for six hours and 60 miles around a ghost town in California.

The US military aims to create autonomous supply vehicles — with a goal of making a third of its supply fleet robotic by 2015 — to keep soldiers out of danger. Car manufacturers also envisage intelligent cars eventually helping people to drive and perhaps taking over altogether for better safety and comfort.