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Robots to race across Mojave Desert as Pentagon offers $1 million prize
AP ^ | August 25, 2003

Posted on 08/25/2003 6:13:41 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad

Edited on 04/12/2004 5:56:22 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

EL MIRAGE DRY LAKE, Calif. (AP) - Something was burning even hotter than the Mojave Desert as Caltech students conducted test-runs of a robot they hope will be up to speed when they go after a $1 million prize offered by a Pentagon agency.


(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: darpa; mojavedesert

1 posted on 08/25/2003 6:13:41 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
This competition (and the $1M prize) is an excellent idea. I bet it'll be way cheaper than funding the research directly, and it'll likely come up with more innovative ideas. The Government should try things like this more often.
2 posted on 08/25/2003 6:24:33 PM PDT by solzhenitsyn ("Live Not By Lies")
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To: Cultural Jihad
Couldn't we just send AlGore, I know the programing would be difficult but , well no I guess not, that prehensile tail just doesn't lend itself to crossing snowy mountain ranges.
3 posted on 08/25/2003 6:25:55 PM PDT by tet68
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To: solzhenitsyn
War should be risky and bloody, "lest we learn to love it so" (Channeling Gen. Robert E. Lee).
4 posted on 08/25/2003 6:28:23 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: tet68
Sending AlGore would be cheating. He invented the internet so obviously has a head start on the rest of the competition.
5 posted on 08/25/2003 6:30:26 PM PDT by SLB
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To: Destro

Best not to quote failed military leaders when discussing military matters. ;-)

6 posted on 08/25/2003 6:30:53 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
Outfreakingstanding!!

Now THIS is America at it's FINEST! We, the American People, will finially pay for a government program that will provide us with tangible returns.

Competition + Capitalism = RESULTS!
7 posted on 08/25/2003 6:34:08 PM PDT by A Broken Glass Republican
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To: A Broken Glass Republican
Now THIS is America at it's FINEST! We, the American People, will finially pay for a government program that will provide us with tangible returns.

Yup!!! Finally the Federal Govt will eliminate the people!!

8 posted on 08/25/2003 6:36:27 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Destro
If it's a better mousetrap...
9 posted on 08/25/2003 6:39:19 PM PDT by A Broken Glass Republican
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To: Cultural Jihad
Best not to quote failed military leaders when discussing military matters. ;-)

Did Marse Robert actually fail, though??? He said he had done his job and put the fate of "the cause" was in God's hands, and He would decide the outcome. Mebbe Gen. Lee did his job just right?

10 posted on 08/25/2003 7:06:29 PM PDT by sam_paine (X .................................)
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To: sam_paine
The South lost due to attrition warefare, not lack of generalship. Grant was briliant in the sense he knew he could win by attrition over the need for skill.
11 posted on 08/25/2003 8:07:56 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Destro
Don't under rate Grant. He attacked and captured a larger divided force at Forts Henry and Donnelson in February 1862. He conquere the Missispi from the North.
Lee won brilliant tactical victories against union generals in Virginia. Grant won strategic victories, sometimes by bluff and mobility, other times by brute strength. Grant cut the Confederacy in two, and swept east. In terms of strategic victory, Grant was a far better general.
12 posted on 08/25/2003 8:17:13 PM PDT by rmlew ("Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.")
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To: rmlew
Agreed. I lapsed into the Grant mass butcher stereotype too quickly.
13 posted on 08/25/2003 8:24:25 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Cultural Jihad
wonder if dean kamen will be joining this effort
14 posted on 08/25/2003 9:45:37 PM PDT by Walkingfeather
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To: Walkingfeather

Contest over! ;-)

15 posted on 08/25/2003 9:46:48 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: solzhenitsyn
I think this is GREAT!! Lots of young innovative students out there - wonderful idea.
16 posted on 08/25/2003 11:00:44 PM PDT by CyberAnt ( America - "The Greatest Nation on the Face of the Earth")
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To: Cultural Jihad
"...reached speeds of as much as 15 mph..."

What'd they do, swap the 350 for a lawn-mower engine?..........FRegards

17 posted on 08/25/2003 11:01:30 PM PDT by gonzo ( I'm still tryin' to figger-out how much I can get away with and still get into Heaven......)
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To: Cultural Jihad
Is there a robotics bump list?
18 posted on 08/25/2003 11:09:29 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer
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To: solzhenitsyn
The Government should try things like this more often.

They do, but a lot of them get shut down (like the relatively well-known "betting on terrorism" bit) because the public is too ignorant to grok the actual purpose of the projects. There are a lot of brilliant high-value-for-the-dollar projects done by the military research community that gets canceled by the droolers in Washington DC for purely political reasons that have nothing to do with the quality or value of the effort.

Actually, this project was also attacked politically for a number of different reasons a while back, but apparently it managed to survive.

19 posted on 08/25/2003 11:09:53 PM PDT by tortoise (All these moments lost in time, like tears in the rain.)
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