A new Google Maps feature released Wednesday includes technology developed by members of the Stanford Racing Team for “Stanley,” a Volkswagon Touarag R5 that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge.

Google licensed the sensing technology from Stanford earlier this month, department of technology licensing director Katherine Ku told The San Jose Mercury News.

The new feature released gives 360 degree views of imagery from certain U.S. cities. Called Street Views, the application allows users to “virtually walk the streets of a city, check out a restaurant before arriving and even zoom in on bus stops and streets signs to make travel plans” in the San Francisco Bay area, New York, Las Vegas, Denver and Miami, according to a Google statement released Wednesday. The feature will soon expand to other metropolitan areas.

Street Views’ coverage of the Bay Area extends to parts of the Stanford campus, including the Oval and Palm Drive, parts of Campus Drive, Escondido Road, Escondido Village and parts of West Campus near the Medical Center.

Three-dimensional views near street level were previously only available via Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, which is Google Maps’ chief competitor in the online virtual imaging market.