autonomous vehicle race

Racing autonomous cars through the desert is one thing. Racing a driver-less car up the steep, winding paths of the Rocky Mountains at race speeds is quite another, but that’s the goal a team of Stanford graduate students has set for itself, outfitting an Audi TTS named “Shelly” to navigate the Pikes Peak race course wit no one behind the wheel.

In this, the fourth of a series, Popular Science profiles one of the favored teams competing to win the Darpa Grand Challenge autonomous-vehicle race, which will take place on Saturday, October 8, near Primm, Nevada. Today we look at the Virginia Tech team's two entries, each of which takes a different approach to the problem. Stay tuned to popsci.com for more previews throughout the week and for minute-by-minute videos and updates on race day.

Virginia Tech Team
Blacksburg, Virginia

In this, the second of a series, Popular Science profiles one of the favored teams competing to win the Darpa Grand Challenge autonomous-vehicle race, which will take place on Saturday, October 8, near Primm, Nevada. Today we look at Team DAD's Toyota truck, equipped with an innovative laser-based navigation system. Stay tuned to popsci.com for more previews throughout the week and for minute-by-minute videos and updates on race day.

Team DAD (Digital Auto Drive)

In this, the first of a series, Popular Science profiles one of the favored teams competing to win the Darpa Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle race, which will take place on Saturday (October 8) near Primm, Nevada. Today we look at the Blue Team's autonomous motorcycle. Stay tuned to popsci.com for more previews throughout the week, and for minute-by-minute videos and updates on race day.

The Blue Team
University of California at Berkeley and Texas A&M