No Cash Prize for Next DARPA Grand Challenge

General Lee's Peking writes to mention an Associated Press article about a sad development in the DARPA Grand Challenge. Because of some new DoD-related legislation, the organization will no longer be able to award the $2 Million prize to grand challenge winners. It's not all bad, though; they still get a trophy. From the article: "The absence of a lucrative cash prize has forced some teams to retool their game plan and others to drop out. Some fear it would be harder to attract corporate sponsors and hurt media coverage of the race, which drew a throng of reporters last year and inspired a PBS documentary. 'The icing on the cake is gone,' said Ivar Schoenmeyr, team leader of California-based Team CyberRider, which is retrofitting a Toyota Prius hybrid."

Comments

No Cash Prize?

[ackthpt]

So much for recovering my development expenses on these ideas:

• Rocket-powered Army Jeep (for when you need to get out FAST!)
• Submarine Desert Camo
• Inflatable M*A*S*H nurse
• Rumsfeld Magic 8 Ball
• Linux Beowulf Cluster Bombs
• Battlefield Mobile Starbucks
• Solar Powered Night-Vision goggles
• Water-proof Spy Satellite (good to 100m!)
• Portable HUD Air Combat Training with Flash banner ads
• Iraq Monopoly (also, expansion with Exit Strategy cards)
• Armour-piercing stealth mosquito repellant

note: Sharks with Lasers is someone else's idea so I clearly can't try to compete with that one.

Ruined my plan

[bryz]

Step 1. Buy Lexus LS460 with autopark
Step 2. Put ls460 backwards at starting line, tell it to park at finish line.
Step 3. Profit.