The April 1st joke is not far behind Volkswagen, which is why many believe that the German manufacturer's announcement a few days ago was just a hoax. Of course, there were reasons to be skeptical, just think back to 2021, when the people of Wolfsburg tried to make you believe they would sell their electric cars under the Voltswagen name in North America.
However, this time they seem to be offering a strange and real solution to a real problem. Run-over accidents are common in Australia, 90 percent of which are collisions with kangaroos, and Volkswagen wants to reduce this percentage. This is what it looks like Robadge (Roo means kangaroo – Editor.) Like the traditional logo, except when it detects a kangaroo, it emits a high-frequency sound that these animals are afraid of.
Image: Volkswagen Australia
Its introduction was preceded by three years of development work, to which the University of Melbourne and Wires, as well as Volkswagen, also contributed. The system will use GPS and telemetry data to know when to trigger an alarm, but the badge itself will also be accessed in a separate app. Of course, it is not possible to scare away all kangaroo species with the same sound effect, so the list of available signals is constantly expanding.
In addition to the logo, Volkswagen is also working on a license plate holder that works on a similar principle, and although the image shows the Amarok, they promise that the solution will be universal. However, it is not yet commercially available, as the kangaroo alarm logo is still being tested for perfection.
Volkswagen claims it is also negotiating with European and American partners to expand the RooBadge's range to deter other animals.
source: Volkswagen Australia
Image source(s): Opening image: Volkswagen Australia
