Robots don't see the world like humans do, at least not yet.
They don't recognize discrete objects and have little common
sense—that it's better to drive over a bush than a rock,
for instance. Instead of seeing, today's robots
measure. They use a variety of sensors—cameras,
laser range finders, radar—to gauge the shape, slope,
and smoothness of the terrain ahead. They then use these data
to figure out how to stay on the road and avoid obstacles. At
least that's the idea, but the DARPA Grand Challenge showed
it's a lot harder than it sounds. Here, see a slide show of
the major measuring techniques used by
the various teams. To
launch the
slide show, click on the image at left.—Jason Spingarn-Koff
Jason Spingarn-Koff is coproducer (with Joe Seamans) of "The
Great Robot Race."
