any robotics experts? (Score 5, Interesting)

I just read an article in Scientific American about this. I'm not into robotics myself, but I'm curious: how much of the difficulty is due to the time it takes to process the input data (from cameras, lasers, etc.)? how much is from the necessary ruggedness of the components? how much difficulty comes from lack of funding for and access to top-of-the-line components? I'm also curious to see what DARPA plans to do with the winning vehicle, if there is a winner. Will they pay for, and then take, any vehicle that is innovative (for example, the motorcycle that can stand on its own)?. Kudos to DARPA for their clever method of conducting research--instead of tying funds up in someone's brainchild, they are allowing a lot of different ideas to proliferate.