The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Urban Challenge and Grand Challenge contests - aimed at demonstrating autonomous ground vehicles in complex environments - are having some big-time consequences.

Really big, in fact. Like 1.4 million pounds big.

Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, which won last year's Urban Challenge, has teamed with its contest sponsor, Caterpillar, to develop autonomous control systems for Cat's two largest mining trucks. Caterpillar will use the vehicles as part of an autonomous haulage system which it is developing for BHP Billiton, a global resources company. The robot monsters are due to be operational by 2010, with the aim of improving productivity and safety.

Caterpillar's biggest truck is the 797B, a svelte, sporty runabout capable of hauling 380 tons of rock and tipping the scales at 1,375,000 pounds.  A 117-liter, 3550 hp V-24 engine moves the monster at speeds of up to 42 mph. As far as I can make out, the only bigger unmanned vehicle than this is a heavy-lift rocket in the Delta IV Heavy class.

pic credit - Caterpillar