National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC
On view is an experimental robot named "Stanley," a modified Volkswagen Touareg that offers a glimpse into the future of "smart" cars. It can drive itself without a human in the driver's seat or at remote controls; it sees the road ahead through roof-mounted laser sensors, video cameras, radar, and GPS resources and uses sophisticated computers to navigate the environment and avoid obstacles. "Stanley" was the winner of the 2005 Grand Challenge, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
