It was widely speculated after the successful completion of the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2005, that there would be no more Grand Challenge events. However, robots.net recently received an interesting tip from Nelson Bridwell of Intel. It seems DARPA sent out an email today with an attached survey. The survey is a Word document asking questions about the 2005 event but includes one question soliciting opinions on a future Grand Challenge being considered by DARPA that would "center on autonomous vehicle operations in an urban area". The email states that the survey document is available on the DARPA Grand Challenge website but doesn't provide the URL (if anyone has a URL let us know). It also says all surveys must be received by Jan 13, 2006. The full email is reproduced below.

From: 'Grand Challenge' <grandchallenge@darpa.mil>
To: ---
Sent: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 12:50
Subject: Fwd: DARPA Grand Challenge Questionnaire

We are seeking feedback regarding Grand Challenge 2005, and looking for suggestions regarding a possible future Grand Challenge involving autonomous vehicles operating in urban areas. Your comments regarding areas that could be improved are particularly welcomed.

The attached questionnaire is also available at www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge. We will be tallying results on January 13, 2006, so if possible, please return forms before then.

Please forward this message to any members of the Grand Challenge community we may have missed.

Thank you for your help and continued support of the DARPA Grand Challenge.

DARPA Grand Challenge Staff