The Volkswagen RooBadge has made huge progress in the animal deterrent segment by combining the latest technological advances, auditory innovation, science, and GPS to turn the iconic Volkswagen badge into a protective audio shield that helps deter kangaroos from the road. The project is also powered by results from 50 years of data collection and analysis on Australia's kangaroo collisions and species populations. In addition, we collaborated with leading animal protection agencies to gather live data on kangaroo collisions, thus increasing the effectiveness of RooBadge in reducing such accidents.

Australia is a vast country, and people living in rural areas often drive long distances to reach towns and cities. As roads expand and cross more regions of the country, drivers increasingly encounter wildlife, resulting in a growing number of collisions each year. 90% of which involve kangaroos. These collisions are so common that many rural communities avoid driving during dawn and dusk, when they are most likely to occur, because no effective deterrent is available.

The automotive industry is currently experiencing fierce competition, particularly in the pickup truck market, which is highly popular among rural drivers. Established brands like Volkswagen are finding it challenging to maintain their market share due to the entry of new players such as Giant Wall, BYD, and KIA, along with established Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux dominating the market. Despite Volkswagen still being popular among city drivers, the Dieselgate scandal has tarnished its reputation, and its flagship pickup truck, the Amarok, has struggled to gain traction and brand loyalty in rural areas. As a result, it has dropped to 10th place in the pickup truck sales charts of 2023.

90% of animal collisions in Australia involve kangaroos, which results in tens of thousands of vehicle accidents yearly. Almost all of these accidents result in the kangaroo's death and cost over $100 million in insurance claims. The number of collisions is sadly growing, with a leading insurer reporting a 19% increase in claims.

Currently, all deterrents available on the market are scientifically proven ineffective. For example, plastic 'roo whistles' fitted to a car's grille produce generic audio that does not actively deter kangaroos and typically can't be heard over the vehicle's noise.

The Volkswagen team witnessed this firsthand when filming a commercial in rural Australia. They hit a kangaroo with their Amarok equipped with a plastic whistle, which led them to question why no one had solved this problem. As a result of this real-life experience, the client briefed us on how Volkswagen could leverage its size and safety credentials.

RooBadge is a revolutionary accessory that transforms the Volkswagen badge into a protective audio shield to deter kangaroos from roads. It comes equipped with an in-car app that uses machine learning to compare the vehicle's GPS coordinates with kangaroo distribution records. The app then creates an audio deterrent specifically engineered to alert the kangaroo species in that location by mixing artificial sounds with meaningful sounds from nature, such as predator howls, bird calls, and warning thumps.

When a vehicle enters a kangaroo hotspot, RooBadge automatically activates and emits a focused beam of ultrasound (inaudible to humans) using cutting-edge directional speaker technology, which alerts kangaroos of approaching danger and deters them from the road, making travel safer for drivers and wildlife.

2019-2020

Initial consultation and development of approach and testing protocol with Research Consultation with research expert

Research and test existing deterrents - all proven ineffective.

Testing Plan

Partnered with Melbourne University

Feb - Sept 2020 Sound test

Phase 1 Field Testing & Results - Successfully respond to different types of meaningful sounds within 2 seconds of hearing.

2021 Hardware test

Phase 2 Field Testing & Results—Successfully tested deterrents can be detected above the vehicle's sound at 110 km, giving kangaroos up to an 11-second warning.

COVID slowdown but lead to ideation break-through leading to GPS

Sept 2020 - In-app development | Research into data sources

Jan 2021 RooBadge Prototype v1 developed

Sep 2021 - Submit Field Test 3 for ethics approval

Jan 2022 - RooBadge Prototype v2

Jan 2022 - In-car app beta v2

Feb 2022 - Animal Ethics Application Approval

Feb - July 2022 Field Test 3 - Experiment with the roo's response to sound in a more controlled, longer-term study using VW vehicles outfitted with a prototype RooBadge.

June - Begin talks with the government and private collision data holders to combine them into one database.

Aug 2022 - RooBadge Prototype v3

Aug 2022 - Numberplate attachable version begins design

Sept 2022 - Partner with animal protection agency WIRES

Nov 2022 - Development of the mobile reporting tool begins.

Jan 2023 - Animal Ethics Application Approval | Controlled moving vehicle tests

Feb 2023 - In-car app beta v2

April 2023 - Universal prototype v1

May 2023 - RooBadge Release v1 produced

July 2023 - development of GPS API and collision data begins.

Jan 2024 - Universal prototype v2

Feb 2024 - Road testing of the RooBadge begins.

Feb 2024 - Begin talks with overseas partners to audio RooBadge to

deter other species like deer.

March 2024 - Product announced to the public

March 2024 - Website launched

March 2024 - 512 register for the first release of RooBadge in one week.

April 2024 - RooBadge v2 with new speaker technology for longer-range speakers begins development.

Three years ago, Volkswagen embarked on a journey to pioneer the world's first scientifically proven kangaroo deterrent.

The RooBadge is a testament to precision engineering.

It features specialized directional speakers that emit high-frequency sound precisely tailored to the kangaroo's hearing perception. This audio projection extends up to 350 meters ahead of the vehicle, ensuring kangaroos have 11 seconds to react to a car travelling at 110 km/h. We're testing new hardware to increase the range to 500 meters.

Kangaroos react differently to various sounds, thus creating a universal sound to deter all species is challenging. The RooBadge connects to an in-car app via Bluetooth, which uses the vehicle's GPS positioning data to determine the species inhabiting the area and then composes a unique audio deterrent for that particular species.

The audio deterrent is composed of artificial sounds and sounds instinctively meaningful from nature to kangaroos, like predator howls, bird calls and warning thumps they make. Testing has shown kangaroos react within seconds of hearing the sound.

When the vehicle enters known kangaroo hotspots, it activates automatically. To make it more effective, we've partnered with leading animal protection agencies to develop a mobile reporting tool, gathering live kangaroo collision data.

We are currently working with partners overseas to modify RooBadge so that it can also deter other animals, such as deer. This wouldn't have been viable without the geo-adaptable audio that RooBadge emits.

Subsequent to the launch, Volkswagen has been invited to talk at various forums about innovation, including government-held ones.

Results:

500+ signed up for the 1st release in 4 days

533 Australian media mentions (14% TV, 36% radio, 7% print and 40% online)

103M total potential editorial reach (or 5+ potential exposures given

Australia's adult population of 20.7M)

98% positive sentiment

$7m+ Australia earned media value.

30,000 visitors to the website

1.3k Global media mentions

1.5B total potential editorial reach