National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC
This experimental robot car named Stanley, a modified Volkswagen Touareg, 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).
