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Self-driving cars are the buzzing news of the future of automobiles, but the Army has a bigger problem – getting tactical vehicles to drive over rough terrain autonomously.

To get after that challenge a Pentagon-driven “innovation network” held a hackathon Thursday that laid out the obstacles to getting autonomous vehicles off-road and doled out cash prizes of $15,000 each to help solve the puzzle.

The innovation network included the National Security Innovation Network, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command.

While the civilian sector has its own hurdles to making driverless cars mainstream, Robert Sadowski, the chief roboticist with the Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center, noted some added pressures for soldiers. For instance, service members have to drive off-road and in combat.

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