[EricH]

Originally Posted by MrForbes

Are there some DARPA challenges that kind of are like professional robotics competition?

You mean the Grand Challenge a few years back? Anybody doesn't count that, they can try doing something similar!

Short version: Drive from point X to point Y. (L.A. to Vegas, or something like that--not quite the full distance, though.) You get two buttons: Go, and STOP!, and no driver.