VW Passat: Next winner of the DARPA challenge?

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

VW Passat: Next winner of the DARPA challenge?

After last year's successful attempt to win the DARPA challenge with the VW Touareg, VW is trying now again with the VW Passat. Good luck!

The Volkswagen Passat wagon will be equipped with a 360-degree laser rangefinder, bumper mounted lasers, RADAR, GPS, a network of systems and software powered by Core 2 Duo processors, and hopefully also spinners to distract the competition's junk-ass rides. Junior's mission, if you choose to recall it: drive a simulated urban course 60 miles long; it must obey California state traffic laws, it must not crash, it must be able to operate without GPS, and it must run the course entirely without human input.