Look Mo, no hands, no remote control! This weird looking Land Rover LR3 (Discovery) has been crafted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to drive all by itself avoiding obstacles, even merging into moving traffic without any human assistance whatsoever.

The fully autonomous LR3 is designed to take part in a driverless car competition dubbed 2007 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge which will be held on November 3, 2007 in Victorville, CA. During the event, the driverless vehicles will have to cross through a 60-mile mock city course completing a stipulated route within a period of six hours. It remains unclear whether the cars will able to receive the prize all by themselves or if human assistance will be needed... -Details after the jump

PRESS RELEASE: IRVINE, Calif., Oct 22, 2007- Land Rover has joined forces with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by donating a Land Rover LR3 that has been built to be fully autonomous so it can take part in the forthcoming 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.

MIT has completely modified the LR3, a vehicle already packed with technology, so that without human driver assistance or remote control, the vehicle is able to drive itself and perform simple tasks such as avoiding obstacles and merging into moving traffic.

The LR3 uses state-of-the-art hardware to view the environment and to track its own motion while driving on major roads or moving through cities. It is equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) range finders with vision sensors in order to view the environment, helping it avoid obstacles that might get in its way. In order to track its progress along the roads, the vehicle uses a combination of GPS (Global Positioning System) and INS (Inertial Navigation System).

With this combination of technology, the vehicle can locate itself within half of a meter anywhere in the world, giving it the ability to stay on road at all times. By grouping these technologies, the LR3 can navigate itself while avoiding anything that might get in its way.

The DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge is an annual competition where several autonomous vehicles, like this specialized LR3, compete against each other in several different rounds.

After successfully completing the qualifying round in early August, Team MIT and the LR3 have been invited back to compete in the challenging semi-final round taking place on October 26-31, with the goal of making it to the final competition.

The DARPA Urban Challenge final event will be held in Victorville, CA on November 3, 2007. During the competition, the vehicles will need to traverse through a 60-mile mock city course within six hours, and will be challenged with tasks while completing a stipulated route. Some of these tasks include executing simulated supply missions while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections and avoiding various obstacles - all without a driver or via remote control.

LAND ROVER
Land Rover North America is part of Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group with headquarters in Irvine, California. Land Rover established operations in the U.S. in 1986, and now imports and distributes Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, LR3 and LR2 vehicles manufactured by Land Rover in Solihull and Halewood, England. Land Rover’s worldwide operations are wholly owned by Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan. For information about the Land Rover retailer nearest you, call 800-FIND-4WD or log on to www.LandRoverusa.com.

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MIT
Today MIT is a world-class educational institution. Teaching and research—with relevance to the practical world as a guiding principle—continue to be its primary purpose. MIT is independent, coeducational, and privately endowed. Its five schools and one college encompass numerous academic departments, divisions, and degree-granting programs, as well as interdisciplinary centers, laboratories, and programs whose work cuts across traditional departmental boundaries