Maker

Cars Without Drivers

Teams compete to win the U.S. military’s $2 million grand prize. By William Gurstelle

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is famous for its pursuit of high-risk, high-reward technologies. When DARPA bets on technology, the wins or losses can be spectacular. Its latest big bet came in the form of the third edition of the DARPA Grand Challenge.

Known as the “Urban Challenge,” the contest took place on a sunny November weekend at DARPAtown, a specially setup racecourse on the grounds of the vacant George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif.

There, some of the best and brightest makers in the country were lured into tackling a difficult problem that strongly appeals to their love of making things. Unlike DARPA’s typical top-secret projects, the Urban Challenge was designed to publicly showcase the talents of top-level makers. And the $2 million top prize doesn’t detract from

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the appeal either.

DARPA’s war planners want a way to keep soldiers safe during dangerous supply missions. Their goal is to develop a vehicle that can drive itself to a dangerous place and do what it needs to do — drop off gear, deliver supplies, or pick up soldiers — without risking the life of a human driver.

Toward this end, DARPA organized the Urban Challenge. The barriers to entering the contest are relatively low — any qualified team of engineers and mechanics can compete. But winning the challenge is a task of Herculean dimensions. To win, the team must build a car that can autonomously maneuver a 60-mile course in an urban environment, “executing simulated military supply missions while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections, and avoiding obstacles.”

Photography by William Gurstelle