The DARPA Challenge II is coming up soon and it appears we may have more than one team complete this year's course. Forty robotic teams have been picked for a second round of the ultimate challenge. Why is this so important? Well many reasons, one is it ushers in a new age of robotics, which will change the destiny of mankind and provide for our forward progression. The other reason is that we have needs, which cannot be met of our armed forces.

The tip of the sword and war fighters of today must have a multitude of back-up and logistical supply chains to wage and win a war. If we are to be the leaders of the free world, stand up for human rights and lay down the law on tyrannical dictators of yesterday's Machiavellian principles, then we will need to do more with less. Right now the GAO and US Army are quite concerned with recruitment numbers and new sign up. We need systems which will allow us to move the logistical chain down the road without a driver in each vehicle, thru any terrain and not necessary roads, rivers or tracks. There fore the DARPA Challenge is very significant in our ability to maintain peace on the planet and defend against Evil.

Many systems to help do this are therefore being tested in a prize worth two-million dollars. Systems of navigation have been borrowed from all over the known scientific world. Systems of Artificial Intelligence, radar, lidar, sonar all combined using a net-centric approach to the vehicles electronics. It is possible now to drive vehicles tele-robotically and steering them using satellites. But in this contest everything must be autonomous and cannot use the satellite technologies except for way points so the vehicles stay within the contest borders; we do not want to squash any endangered; "Desert Tortises."

In the end the military may use a combination of these technologies and some which were forbidden on the this challenge, however one should consider the Satellite navigation systems which do not necessarily need an actual satellite; they could use an aircraft, UAV, balloon, cell tower triangulation, etc..

I propose convoys in the future use a system similar to the ADD System. AFF stands for Automated Flight Following System, which is used in aerial fire fighting to insure that the fire retardant is dropped in the drop zone even though with the smoke the visibility is very low making it difficult to see. As one aircraft goes in another follows in behind it. This off the shelf technology has been used for over a decade now and with the advances of GPS accuracy and GIS modeling of surface terrain by satellite its uses should be incorporated into the laying of smart dust.

This technology is not allowed in the DARPA Challenge but is a solution for its mission of an unmanned convoy. I propose the AFF System be implemented along with some of these systems discussed here:

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?s=06a7273e42d643108d053d623c4deafb&showtopic=87

As this ought to solve the problem of moving the tonnage to the front lines without risking lives or costs millions in training, housing and recruiting. I do hope as a taxpayer you will be thinking here.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs