Volkswagen Touareg wins US department of Defense Challenge in Mojave Desert
Sep/100
A extremely extraordinary VW Touareg completed a 130-mile cross-desert race in fastest time winning one of the worlds toughest automotive challenges . But there was no podium celebration or champagne for the winner – the global contest was for hi-tech computer driven vehicles .
The result of a partnership between the VW Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) and Stanford University, the winning Touareg (nicknamed ‘Stanley’) completed the course in 6 hours, 53 minutes and 8 seconds – 11 minutes and 42 seconds quicker than the second finisher.
A total of 23 vehicles participated the challenge which took place over 130-miles of desert roads, mountain trails, dry lakebeds and tunnels using only on-board sensors and satellite navigation equipment with no human help . The path was revealed on the morning of the start and rules stated it must be completed in under 10 hours – the Touareg completed this without difficulty with over 3 hours to spare .
The mobile laboratory, Stanley, navigated the course using countless gadgets – numerous sensors all aroung the automobile tell the seven networked Pentium motherboards with 1.6 GHz processors what the vehicle is doing. at the same time , laser detectors, stereo visual equipment and short range 24-GHz radar systems link to the millimetre accurate Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system.
The networked processors combine all the data to produce the quickest and safest path for the automobile . This information is fed to newly invnented ‘drive by wire’ systems operating the brakes, accelerator and steering.
Electronics apart, the standard Touareg was more than up to the rough Mojave terrain, the only differences being underbody protection plates and uprated suspension dampers.
The Grand Challenge hails from the Pentagon and the US Department of Defense offer a $2million cash for the successful vehicle . The first Grand Challenge ran in 2004 with a $1million prize. in spite some strong entries, not one vehicle completed the inaugural race; the furthest travelling automobile managed just over 7 miles.
The development involved in creating Stanley will lead directly to safer and more responsive ***istance systems for Volkswagen vehicles, rather than a totally autonomous vehicle. The objective is to make driving even safer in the future . Components used within Stanley are not far removed from current vehicle technology – the short-range radar system is a development of the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) currently available on P***at. This system recognises hazardous situations using radar measurements and activates the brakes as a precaution.
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