The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) just released Phase 1 footage of their Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program, which shows a sensor-rich unmanned UTV self-navigating rough desert terrain.

The intention is to develop autonomous ground combat vehicles that are able to traverse complex terrain as fast, or faster, than a human driven vehicle. The unmanned machines will initially be integrated into special operations teams and eventually conventional military units.

The RACER Fleet Vehicle (RFV) uses spacial sensors to rapidly and continuously evaluate and plot the best course to reach the destination in a timely and safe manner. The vehicle itself is essentially a heavily modified Polaris RZR S4 1000 Turbo.