The small DARPA Challenge teams fielded by Cornell University are unique in that they often consist primarily of undergraduates. While this means that it's tougher for them to have a shot at the prize money, it also means that undergraduates on the team can get a real, hands-on experience in building, testing, and racing the robot cars.

Here's the interior of the self-driving Chevy Tahoe that Cornell entered in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.

Photo by Cornell University

Caption by Caroline McCarthy