Japan and the US aren’t the only countries in the world boasting advanced robot cars. Now Germany has one, too. A team of researchers at Freie Universität Berlin has roboticized a conventional VW Passat [homepage in English], which has successfully finished trial runs in central Berlin “several times” over the last weekend without causing an accident.
The car (which is called “MadeInGermany” for some reason) made its debut in 2007 when it drove around autonomously in a closed area in a closed down airport in Berlin. But now the vehicle was able to finish a 20km round trip in the center of the city, between Kaiserdamm to Brandenburg Gate, for the first time – roundabout traffic, speed limits, pedestrians and a total 46 lights on the way included.
The car is equipped with a drive-by-wire system, three cameras, a radar system, a set of laser rangefinders, and a GPS module boasting an accuracy of 10-20cm. It’s insured for 100 million Euros.
The university says the concepts of the “MadeInGermany” and the Google car are pretty similar and that it frequently exchanges information with its American colleagues.
Via Heise Online [GER]