Vehicle driven by Mac OS X takes Team Banzai to DARPA semi-finals

Team Banzai, is on their way to the national semi-finals of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge with %26ldquo;Dora%26rdquo; -- the world%26rsquo first fully-autonomous vehicle driven by Mac OS X. Dora the Explorer? Not quite. Dora is a 2004 V6 Volkswagon Touareg, silly. No human drivers, no remote controls - just a can of Mac OS X whoop-a and a dream. All a ects of development and race management efforts at Team Banzai use A le and Mac OS X technology.

"The Defe e Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defe e (DoD) will conduct the second Grand Challenge for autonomous robotic ground vehicles. A roximately 20 robots will navigate a course of more than 140 miles over rugged desert terrain in the southwest United States. The team whose vehicle completes the course the fastest%26mdash;in le than 10 hour mdash;will receive a check for $2 million. The intent of the Grand Challenge is to encourage participation in robotics R%26am D by nontraditional individuals and organizatio mdash;outside the Military/Defe e procurement sector%26mdash;who may offer new, i ovative ways of thinking that lead to scientific or technological breakthroughs."

Go team!

[Thanks ll, via A le Hot News]