Virginia Tech students gearing up for $1 million Grand Challenge

Abstract

A prize of $1 million, a route of 250 miles between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and no human intervention allowed past the starting line -- that's the Grand Challenge awaiting a team of Virginia Tech students and 24 other competitors on March 13. The challenge posed by the competition's sponsor, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), seems simple -- the winning vehicle will complete a 250-mile designated route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in less than 10 hours.