U.S. Creates Vehicles That Operate Without Drivers - VIDEO STORY
DETROIT - April 12, 2007: Vehicles that operate without a driver and allow passengers to safely use their mobile devices are being tested by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has created Boss, a Chevrolet Tahoe, designed to drive itself. Boss is a robotic vehicle equipped with 25 lasers, cameras and radars to enable it to sense objects and know which direction to go. The self-driving vehicle is scheduled to be tested in November during The Urban Challenge, a 60-mile course in which various robots race across a city or suburban environment. In addition to helping the military, General Motors officials expect this new technology will also play a future role in dangerous tasks such as mining.