Abstract: A Road Departure Sensing and an Intelligent Driving System which uses near-infrared illumination to collect a continuous sequence of images from an area ahead of a moving vehicle, measure the distance to potential obstacles or obstructions, calculate the potential for collisions, detect the edges of a road or path or changes in the surface texture of a driving surface, and warn a vehicle operator in advance of the vehicle departing the drivable surface or communicate with an unmanned vehicle navigation system to sense and supply real-world navigational data. The unmanned vehicle navigation system can be integrated with existing civilian or military vehicles to provide autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle operation.