Standford University’s robot car, Stanley, was the first autonomous vehicle to win the elusive DARPA Grand Challenge. Popular Mechanics describes how they conquered the challenge.

Stanley’s optical cortex was the Mapper program, which interpreted the 3D LIDAR map and compressed it into a manageable 2D map divided into a grid of 30 x 30-centimeter cells. The cells were designated as free (driveable), occupied (obstacle) or unknown.

The article describes their many challenges, the “eyes” of the vehicle, its mechanics, mapping software, and navigation system. The article is an interesting look into the complex design of a Stanford’s Stanley or any DARPA challenger.