
The future is definitely now. Soon, they would be all over the place. Of course, the paranoia would set in any minute now. All those post-apocalyptic films and books would be brought to life in different conspiracy theories. For now though, maybe we should focus more on the development of robotics.
For once, we might need all the help. In the U.S., the government is hoping that a 60-mile race among up to 20 driverless, self-guided vehicles will be able to bring forth military advancement. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) last week geared up for the Urban Challenge.
The man-less vehicles should navigate a difficult 60-mile course. The automobile must basically think its way through the course and do it all on its own all throughout the race. DARPA is awarding prizes to the teams whose vehicles complete the course in less than six hours. The first prize is a whopping $2 million, second prize is $500,000 and the third prize is a cool enough $250,000.
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