The city of Peachtree Corners in the US state of Georgia is home to the Curiosity Lab, a smart city environment powered by real-world infrastructure and next-generation connectivity. The city recently announced the addition of a mobility research and test vehicle, intended to help companies and organizations develop and prove out new advanced mobility and autonomous technologies.
The Ford Edge-based test vehicle is equipped with Level 3 autonomous capabilities on an open-source platform and will interact with local residents in the living laboratory environment – differing from other test vehicles that either test only within closed courses or are limited to a host company’s proprietary platform.
“There have been many mobility test vehicles introduced these past several years, but at Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, companies have the opportunity to develop new technologies on an open-source mobility platform alongside other emerging solutions, while also leveraging actual smart infrastructure wholly owned by the city – not proprietary, closed platforms in closed track environments,” said Brandon Branham, chief technology officer and assistant city manager of Peachtree Corners.
“The Ford Edge-based test platform here operates in a living lab environment alongside residents that are walking and driving on the same public street. And we’re the first city in the world to insure a public roadway for both driven and driverless vehicle activity – giving companies a true advantage as they look to learn and improve their technologies before they ‘graduate’ and scale.”