DARPA getting that X-prize type feeling

Need proof that small prizes can stimulate big expenditures of effort
and money into tech research?

It seems DARPA is taking a page from the X-prize's book.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232431.stm

They want to stimulate lots of research into technology for a robot
(robotic car, really) that can drive itself at high speed through the
desert, but they don't want to spend $100 million doing it. Solution:
offer a $1 million prize to the robot team that wins the race--and
then just sit back and watch.
According to this article, it looks like over $2 mil in labor and
parts has already been spent to win the $1 mil prize by the CalTech
and Carnegie Mellon teams alone.

If this turns out the way the Army hopes, maybe DARPA will start
offering prizes for other things...like space access?

Tom Merkle

On 21 Oct 2003 11:28:26 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Tom Merkle) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

Need proof that small prizes can stimulate big expenditures of effort
and money into tech research?

As if there wasn't already plenty available...

It seems DARPA is taking a page from the X-prize's book.

Yup.

If this turns out the way the Army hopes, maybe DARPA will start
offering prizes for other things...like space access?

Let's hope so.

--
simberg.interglobal.org * 310 372-7963 (CA) 307 739-1296 (Jackson Hole)
interglobal space lines * 307 733-1715 (Fax) http://www.interglobal.org

"Extraordinary launch vehicles require extraordinary markets..."
Swap the first . and @ and throw out the ".trash" to email me.
Here's my email address for autospammers:

In article ,
Tom Merkle wrote:
If this turns out the way the Army hopes, maybe DARPA will start
offering prizes for other things...like space access?

DARPA apparently *is* interested in the idea of prizes for other things,
assuming this one works out.

It may be awkward for them to offer prizes for accomplishments that are
likely to take several years, however, because Congress is reluctant to
make funding commitments that are binding on future Congresses*, and a
prize that doesn't have a firm funding commitment will be less appealing.

(* I'm told that, contrary to popular belief, it *can* be done. But it
is not something that Congress does frequently or happily.)
--
MOST launched 30 June; first light, 29 July; 5arcsec | Henry Spencer
pointing, 10 Sept; first science, early Oct; all well. |

(Henry Spencer) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Tom Merkle wrote:
If this turns out the way the Army hopes, maybe DARPA will start
offering prizes for other things...like space access?

DARPA apparently *is* interested in the idea of prizes for other things,
assuming this one works out.


neato. I had in mind a successor to the X-prize that rewarded greater
reliability, greater range, and even quicker turnaround.

It may be awkward for them to offer prizes for accomplishments that are
likely to take several years, however, because Congress is reluctant to
make funding commitments that are binding on future Congresses*, and a
prize that doesn't have a firm funding commitment will be less appealing.

(* I'm told that, contrary to popular belief, it *can* be done. But it
is not something that Congress does frequently or happily.)

Unless you consider the yearly appropriation for social security
frequent. That's supposedly binding.

(I guess I'm just bitter because a rediculous "here's your current
earnings!" statement arrived in the mail yesterday from the Social
Security Administration, along with a happy note to 'keep your number
secret!')

It's depressing to know I've paid enough 'in' to buy a couple cars,
each nicer than the one I currently own.

Tom Merkle

On 22 Oct 2003 12:54:57 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Tom Merkle) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

It's depressing to know I've paid enough 'in' to buy a couple cars,
each nicer than the one I currently own.

It's even more depressing to know that you've paid enough in to have a
very comfortable retirement, had it been put in reasonable investment
vehicles...

--
simberg.interglobal.org * 310 372-7963 (CA) 307 739-1296 (Jackson Hole)
interglobal space lines * 307 733-1715 (Fax) http://www.interglobal.org

"Extraordinary launch vehicles require extraordinary markets..."
Swap the first . and @ and throw out the ".trash" to email me.
Here's my email address for autospammers:

"Rand Simberg" wrote in message
...
On 22 Oct 2003 12:54:57 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Tom Merkle) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

It's depressing to know I've paid enough 'in' to buy a couple cars,
each nicer than the one I currently own.

It's even more depressing to know that you've paid enough in to have a
very comfortable retirement, had it been put in reasonable investment
vehicles...

Heh. Define reasonable. I've more than a few friends with private pensions
who are having to delay retirement by 5-10 years because their pension
company thought tech stocks were a reasonable investment right up until a
third of the fund had been wiped clean.

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 11:44:07 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
"Dave" made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:


"Rand Simberg" wrote in message
.. .
On 22 Oct 2003 12:54:57 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Tom Merkle) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

It's depressing to know I've paid enough 'in' to buy a couple cars,
each nicer than the one I currently own.

It's even more depressing to know that you've paid enough in to have a
very comfortable retirement, had it been put in reasonable investment
vehicles...

Heh. Define reasonable.

Diversified.

--
simberg.interglobal.org * 310 372-7963 (CA) 307 739-1296 (Jackson Hole)
interglobal space lines * 307 733-1715 (Fax) http://www.interglobal.org

"Extraordinary launch vehicles require extraordinary markets..."
Swap the first . and @ and throw out the ".trash" to email me.
Here's my email address for autospammers:

On 22 Oct 2003 12:54:57 -0700, (Tom Merkle) wrote:

(I guess I'm just bitter because a rediculous "here's your current
earnings!" statement arrived in the mail yesterday from the Social
Security Administration, along with a happy note to 'keep your number
secret!')

Oh, I hate those statements. I haven't paid Social Security since
1974, so I get these long columns of zeros.

The total amount of money I paid into retirement showed up on my
biweekly pay statements, not on a once-a-year mailing, so it didn't
seem quite as impressive.

It's depressing to know I've paid enough 'in' to buy a couple cars,
each nicer than the one I currently own.

However, I'm now getting back what I paid in and that's not at all
depressing.

Mary

--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer

(Tom Merkle) wrote in message . com...
Need proof that small prizes can stimulate big expenditures of effort
and money into tech research?

It seems DARPA is taking a page from the X-prize's book.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232431.stm

For more X-Prizeness, check out Challenge Bibendum (
http://www.challengebibendum.com/ ) . Environmental vehicle
competition sponsored by Michelin.
Interestingly, many small players utilizing COTS technology come out
on top with best rankings in several categories ( for instance, check
out the AC Propulsion tZero running off stack of commercially widely
avialable small li-ion batteries
http://www.acpropulsion.com/default.htm )

-kert