Glenn Reynolds has an interesting article on TCS about the DARPA Challenge and its significance in regards to the Singularity.

Likewise, just as chess-playing machines that could beat human grandmasters were once the very definition of artificial intelligence, now they're just trivial accomplishments: toys, really. And, I suppose, within a few years self-driving cars won't count as "real" robotics either -- just helpful gadgets. Yet as the signposts flash by, we get closer to the destination, whether we notice it or not.