There's something about robots which are totally cool! I have to admit that I have no skill or understanding when it comes to such things, but they are fascinating to watch in action. Hell, I used to watch BATTLEBOTS almost religiously. :-)

The idea of a competition to create a robot which can race across the Mojave Desert would be interesting, even if it is being funded by the Defense Dept. for future use in warfare. Once again there's a piece in the Washington Post (subscription required) on some of the entrants in this contest. They also provide a nice video on one of the groups involved, along with pictures of some of the other competitors. It makes sense to me that more than half the groups are basically modifying trucks and SUVs for the drive, since they can start out with vehicles capable of driving in off-road conditions. I can't believe that one group is actually using a motorcycle, although I'm sure that they are going to further modify the thing for stability.

I'm disappointed that the event will not be televised, but I'm hopeful that eventually we'll get footage of the race. I can see about a half dozen movies being spun from this, even as I type. :-)