Sensors can detect a boulder from a bush. Lasers have a 'reflectivity' or 'brilliance' factor that is unique for each material type. A bush puts off a different recognizable 'signature' than a boulder. IR cameras can also detect heat signatures, and visible light cameras can regognize these objects as well. It's not a question of sensors anymore. It's a question of on-board computing power to handle the output of the sensors. You then get into the vehicles power budget, and how a self-contained vehicle can generate enough AC or DC power to run the computers, sensors, switches, GPS, INS, 'drive by wire' systems, etc. and still leave room for supplies!
DARPA is a funding agency only that actually brings solutions to the table quicker and at lower costs than the traditional funding to universities and research institutions. By dangling a carrot ($2MM in the case of the GC), DARPA gets universities, private corporations and even individuals to invest many $MM of their own money in solving DARPA's problem. The return on investment is huge, and actually saves the taxpayer lots of money. However, you have to remember they are part of the DOD, so much of what is developed cannot be published on web sites.
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Sensors can detect a boulder from a bush. Lasers have a 'reflectivity' or 'brilliance' factor that is unique for each material type. A bush puts off a different recognizable 'signature' than a boulder. IR cameras can also detect heat signatures, and visible light cameras can regognize these objects as well. It's not a question of sensors anymore. It's a question of on-board computing power to handle the output of the sensors. You then get into the vehicles power budget, and how a self-contained vehicle can generate enough AC or DC power to run the computers, sensors, switches, GPS, INS, 'drive by wire' systems, etc. and still leave room for supplies!
DARPA is a funding agency only that actually brings solutions to the table quicker and at lower costs than the traditional funding to universities and research institutions. By dangling a carrot ($2MM in the case of the GC), DARPA gets universities, private corporations and even individuals to invest many $MM of their own money in solving DARPA's problem. The return on investment is huge, and actually saves the taxpayer lots of money. However, you have to remember they are part of the DOD, so much of what is developed cannot be published on web sites.