Volkswagen’s $2 Million Prize-Winning Autonomous Touareg To Be Featured On Nova
AUBURN HILLS, MI - March 28, 2006: The robotic Volkswagen Touareg, nicknamed ‘Stanley’, that brought home the $2 million prize at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge in October, will be featured on NOVA’s The Great Robot Race, airing tonight on PBS, March 28, at 8 p.m. ET. 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.
The NOVA program will provide an in-depth look at the DARPA Grand Challenge and the technological innovations of the race contenders. The DARPA Grand Challenge is an annual competition and a field test intended to accelerate research and development in autonomous ground vehicles. Stanley performed flawlessly over the 132-mile Nevada course and achieved victory after six hours 35 minutes. Nearly 200 vehicles from around the world originally entered the competition. A series of semifinal competitions narrowed the final field to 23, including Stanley.