Here's one thing that's always true of university robotics programs: they aren't cheap to run. This car, "Alice," was the California Institute of Technology's entry for the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.

A modified Ford F-350, Alice chalked up a bill of about $700,000 in the year before the race, when staff salaries were factored in (the team had roughly 50 people on it). The project had sponsorship from Caltech itself, Mohr Davidow Ventures, and Applanix.

Photo by Stefanie Olsen/CNET

Caption by Caroline McCarthy