Ford Motor Company has partnered with the Michigan Science Center (MiSci) to educate the community on the future of transportation, creating MiSci’s first AV exhibit. Built by Ford engineers and developers working closely with MiSci, the installation resembles a vehicle of the future that guests can engage with and explore inside to learn about AVs through interactive displays and a simulation.
The exhibit shows how AVs operate and make decisions without a human driver, using data that is collected through 3D maps, cameras, sensors and lidar. It also includes an interactive lidar simulation to show how an autonomous vehicle sees the environment around it, such as pedestrians and other cars, as it drives. Users will even be able to take a photo of their experience to keep and share digitally.
“A key part of Ford’s efforts to build a self-driving business across this country is educating people on how the vehicles operate autonomously, as well as the benefits they provide,” said John Rich, director of autonomous vehicle technology, Ford Autonomous Vehicles.
“Through this interactive experience at the Michigan Science Center, our goal is to build trust in self-driving technology and inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and mathematicians to pursue a career in transportation.”
Ford is working closely with its self-driving technology partner Argo AI to test self-driving vehicles on public roads in Metro Detroit, including the Corktown neighborhood, among other US cities. Ford also plans to launch a self-driving commercial service in Austin, Miami and Washington DC to provide a mobility solution.
