A device that replaces a Volkswagen’s front badge could save countless kangaroos and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage by emitting a warning signal of a vehicle’s approach.
Developed over three years by Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) and the DDB Group in consultation with the University of Melbourne and WIRES, it is hoped that Volkswagen’s ‘RooBadge’ will help reduce collisions with kangaroos.
These comprise 90% of on-road wildlife accidents in this country.
The RooBadge calibrates a vehicle’s GPS coordinates with kangaroo distribution data by connecting to an in-car app. The ‘badge’ is a circular disc some 17cm in diameter that would act as a protective shield, replacing the current Volkswagen roundel/badge.
This conveys a unique audio deterrent for the kangaroo species inhabiting the vehicle’s location.
Natural and artificial sounds are mixed in real time and projected in a high-frequency audio signal.
After extensive trials, permission has been obtained from the University of Melbourne Office of Research Ethics and Integrity to move into Stage Four trials involving kangaroos in the wild.
While supposed deterrent devices have existed for some time, they have not been scientifically developed or proven.
“[RooBadge does] something no kangaroo deterrent has been able to do before,” says Melbourne University’s Associate Professor Graeme Coulson.
“It’s challenging to produce a single sound that will deter all kangaroos because the species differ. We can use advancements in car technology to change the sound deterrent by GPS location.
“We have worked on sounds that will be meaningful to Eastern Grey Kangaroos, things like dingo calls, alarm calls made by birds and the alarm thumps that kangaroos make to warn each other. We will then be able to tweak the sound for other species,” he says.
“Kangaroo collisions are increasing yearly, and with more motorists on the roads over the Easter holiday, we expect a spike in rescue calls for injured adults and displaced joeys,” says WIRES spokesperson John Grant.
WIRES is grateful to automotive companies like Volkswagen for researching and developing solutions to protect our kangaroos and motorists better.”
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies says the brand is investing time and energy in this project because it can and it is the right thing to do.
“A collision with a ‘roo can be devastating. It is not easily forgotten once seen, and certainly not if experienced,” Davies says.
Then, there’s the possibility of a front-on collision with an approaching vehicle at country road speeds when one driver tries to avoid striking a kangaroo. These are even more likely to have a fatal human outcome.”
The University of Melbourne’s Dr Helena Bender, whose research has been used extensively in this project says roadkill is a problem worldwide.
“What’s interesting about deer relative to kangaroos is that they’re very similar in body, head, and ear sizes,” says Dr Bender. We know from science that the ear shape in the head shape tells us that they probably have similar hearing. So, whatever we learn has transferability to the deer as well.”
