“A European version of the DARPA Grand Challenge [CC] is being held in Germany next month. Instead of a race through the desert, the EU challenge is split into three events. Urban, non-urban, and landmine detection will be the ‘courses’, with multiple winners in each event. Interestingly Sebastian Thrun, winner of last year’s Challenge, has been forbidden from taking part despite being a European citizen.” From the article: “The trials will take place in and around Hammelburg, a mockup of a town used by the German military for training exercises. In the non-urban course the robots will have to contend with a one-kilometer route containing ditches, barbed wire fences, cattle guards, fires, narrow underpasses, and inclines of up to 40 degrees. The urban and landmine 500-meter trials will require the robots to negotiate doorways, stairs, partially collapsed buildings, and poor visibility from smoke or partial lighting. Along the way, they will also have to search for designated objects and report their findings back to base.”

• Slashdot | The European Grand Challenge