The robotic Passat will compete on a 60-mile mock urban course that involves merging with traffic, crossing traffic circles and negotiating busy intersections while following traffic laws.

The Passat wagon – named ‘Junior’ in homage to Leland Stanford Jr., founder of Stanford University – is equipped with electromechanical power steering and electric throttle, gear shifter and parking brake. Volkswagen of America’s Electronics Research Laboratory modified these electric systems as well as the brakes to be completely computer-controllable. Custom mountings for the wide array of sophisticated sensors were also designed and built at the ERL. Intel Core 2 Duo processors, including multiple processing units per chip, make up the car’s “brains”; together with the software developed at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab—the car will be truly autonomous.

“After our victory at the last DARPA Grand Challenge, Volkswagen is excited to join the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. We see an opportunity to further advance intelligent technologies for use in passenger vehicles of the future. The features developed for the Urban Challenge will ultimately make driving safer and more enjoyable in today’s increasingly dense traffic,” said Dr. Carlo Rummel, executive director of Volkswagen of America’s Electronics Research Laboratory.

Rummel added, ”With the fuel efficient Passat, we have the perfect vehicle for the job; just like our Touareg ‘Stanley’ was for the desert race in 2005.”

Volkswagen brought home the two-million dollar grand prize at the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge with a diesel powered Touareg named Stanley. Stanley defeated 22 other unmanned vehicles in a rigorous, 132-mile championship race over rough desert roads, mountain trails, dry lake beds and tunnels, using only onboard sensors and navigation equipment.  Stanley performed flawlessly and achieved victory after six hours 35 minutes.


Press release via Volkswagen; image by Stanford  University