Meet Dexter - the Robotic Car

A research team at Case Western Reserve University is preparing their robotic vehicle Dexter for the next competition in the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) 2007 Urban Challenge, and they appear to have some pretty good odds. Their vehicle has passed a few of the early hurdles (avoiding a parked car back in March). In the November competition, Dexter and his competitors will have to find their way around four-way intersections and avoid not just parked cars but traffic and pedestrians, as well. What's the point of all this? Congress has mandated that by 2015, one-third of the military's combat vehicles will be unmanned. So, this research could directly affect the safety of U.S. soldiers. And, maybe one day, we'll be able to commute in our robotic cars... while we nap.