Volkswagen Offers a Peek Into Secret Research Lab

Washington DC August 9, 2005; Volkswagen recently offered a peek inside its research lab in Palo Alto, Calif., where engineers are working diligently on dashboard instrument panels that can change on command to instantly offer needed information, reports The Sunday Gazette.

The process involves producing an auto glass that goes from clear to dark in two seconds. "The basic idea is to bring the Silicon Valley to Volkswagen," said Carlo Rummel, executive director of Volkswagen of America’s Electronics Research Laboratory.

Rummel’s lab employs 38 local engineers. While other automakers, including: BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda and, soon, Nissan -- all have research and development labs in Silicon Valley, VW’s is arguably the most visible as a result of its partnership with Stanford University to develop a driverless car -- a VW Touareg T5 SUV called “Stanley” -- that will compete this fall in the federally sponsored DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile race across the Southwest desert for a $2 million prize.

The driverless Stanley is equipped with devices that control steering, acceleration and braking. Also included on Stanley is radar and navigation equipment that help the vehicle stay on path and avoid obstacles. According to the Gazette, the goal of the driverless car project “is to reduce the more than 40,000 American deaths from car crashes each year. Creating vehicles that can stay in lanes, avoid obstacles and slow down when they need to could save thousands of lives.”