Darpa robot race gets prize fund boost

Darpa has granted prize money of $3.5m for its milestone urban robotics race next November, a far cry from its previously planned trophies.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has approved prize money for the first three finalists of its 2007 Urban Challenge after a confusing twist in the government agency's right to grant monetary awards, organisers said.

Darpa will now grant $2m for first place, $1m for second and $500,000 for third. But the agency dropped award money for "Track B" teams, or those roughly 78 teams (out of 89 teams in total) competing without government funding, according to a Darpa spokeswoman. Instead, those teams, which could have won supplemental prize money of up to $150,000, will race for the main prize money.

When the 2007 Urban Challenge was first announced in May, Darpa said it would dole out more than $2m in prizes to the robotics teams that could navigate mock city terrain over a set time.

But Darpa presumably lost its granting authority with the passage of a congressional act which gave money-granting power to another government agency, Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. So at the time, instead of awarding $2m for first prize, $500,000 for second and $250,000 for third, Darpa said it would simply give out trophies to the three finalists.

But after much complaint from contestants, Kenneth Krieg, undersecretary of defence for acquisition, technology and logistics, approved the prize money.

The race will see as many as 90 teams "drive" an unmanned robotic road vehicle through city traffic, competing to finish a 60-mile course within six hours. Set for 3 November 2007, the challenge will call on robots to safely obey traffic laws, negotiate busy intersections, merge into moving traffic, avoid obstacles and navigate traffic circles.

Darpa has yet to disclose the race location but has said it will be in the western US. The government research group didn't unveil the 2005 Grand Challenge location in the Mojave Desert until weeks before that race, in order to avoid giving any team an advantage.

Stefanie Olsen writes for CNET News.com