Nova

The Great Robot Race

The essentials of road racing are clear -- a fast car and talented driver, right? Wrong. The Pentagon's Darpa Grand Challenge turns this assumption on its head with a contest solely for robotic, driver-less vehicles. The Pentagon believes robots will play a key role in reducing human risk during military operations, and the Grand Challenge may trigger just the technological breakthroughs they need. Armed with artificial intelligence, laser-guided vision, GPS navigation and 3-D mapping, contenders take on the immense challenge of driving unassisted along 200 miles of twisting dirt roads through the desert. NOVA delivers the inside story of these brilliant engineers and their drive to create a champion.