No way! – Stanford’s SUV wins DARPA robot race

From the Mercury News:

A customized Volkswagen SUV entered by Stanford University became the first autonomous vehicle to cross the finish line of a $2 million Pentagon-sponsored race across the rugged Mojave Desert on Saturday without help from a human driver or remote control.

The race announcer did not immediately declare a winner because 22 out of the 23 robots left the starting line at staggered times at dawn, racing against the clock rather than each other.

Stanford's Stanley started in second, but passed the pole position vehicle, a converted red Hummer named H1ghlander, at the 102-mile mark of the race. Stanley was closely trailed by H1ghlaner and a customized Humvee called Sandstorm, both by Carnegie Mellon University. Four other vehicles remained on the course.

A group of Stanford engineers and scientists erupted in cheers as Stanley passed the finish line.

Official site: DARPA Grand Challenge. Congrats to Stanford!