Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge The goal of the DARPA Grand Challenge is to save lives by making one-third of ground military forces autonomous or driverless vehicles by 2015. Created in response to a congressional and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) mandate, the DARPA Grand Challenge brings together individuals and organizations from industry, the research and development (R&D) community, government, the armed services, and academia and includes students, backyard inventors, and automotive enthusiasts. The DARPA Grand Challenge 2004 field test of autonomous ground vehicles ran from Barstow, California, to Primm, Nevada, and offered a $1 million prize.

From the qualifying round at the California Speedway, 15 finalists emerged to attempt the Grand Challenge. However, the prize went unclaimed when no vehicles were able to complete the difficult desert route. The DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 was held in the Mojave Desert and offered a $2 million prize to the team that completed the 132-mile course in the shortest time under 10 hours. The race, over desert terrain, included narrow tunnels, sharp turns, and a winding mountain pass with a sheer dropoff on one side and a rock face on the other. Five teams completed the course, and "Stanley," the Stanford Racing Team's car, won the $2 million prize with a time of 6 hours, 53 minutes.

The third DARPA Grand Challenge was an urban challenge on the site of the now-closed George Air Force Base in Victorville, California. It offered a $2 million prize to the autonomous vehicle that could cover the 60-mile course in less than 6 hours. The vehicles had to obey stop lights, navigate around other vehicles, and even merge into heavy traffic. Tartan Racing, a collaborative effort by Carnegie Mellon University and General Motors Corporation, won the prize with "Boss," a Chevy Tahoe. The Stanford Racing Team's "Junior," a 2006 Volkswagen Passat, won second prize of $1 million. "Victor Tango," a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid from Virginia Tech, won third place along with a $500,000 prize.

1. How is the DoD using AI to improve its operations and save lives?

2. Why would the DoD use an event like the DARPA Grand Challenge to further technological innovation?

3. Describe how autonomous vehicles could be used by organizations around the world to improve business efficiency and effectiveness.

4. The Ansari X is another technological innovation competition focusing on spacecraft. To win the $10 million Ansari X Prize, a private spacecraft had to be the first to carry the weight equivalent of three people to an altitude of 62.14 miles twice within two weeks. SpaceShipOne, a privately built spacecraft, won on October 4, 2004. Describe the potential business impacts of the Ansari X competition.