The U.S. Army hopes to automate one-third of its ground forces by 2015. Autonomous vehicles will carry supplies to troops or perform reconnaissance tasks like the unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Air Force. These vehicles must be able to travel through 200 miles of rough desert terrain and weather.
To foster development of autonomous vehicles, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) hosted a race, the Grand Challenge, for autonomous vehicles on March 13.