Photos: Teams tune up for Urban Challenge

After passing over the two previous DARPA competitions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an academic stalwart in computer science and robotics, will try to play catch-up to race veterans like Stanford University this year, according to John Leonard, one of the team's leaders.

MIT joins the challenge with support from the university, Quanta Computer, Draper Laboratory and Ford Motor, which donated a Land Rover LR3 to the cause.

Photo by MIT