ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — We have taken you to Mcity before. It is the University of Michigan’s model city used as a test track for autonomous vehicles.
The problem? It is just in one location. On Monday the university celebrated the launch of Mcity 2.0, which aims to overcome that limitation.
The National Science Foundation is contributing $5.1 million to Mcity for the upgrade. The money will be spent to add virtual reality software to the track, allowing it to be used for research done by universities and even companies around the country.
“One of the reasons Mcity 2.0 is so critical is because we are bringing more minds to the table. More people with different perspectives. Different angles to look at how to solve these problems,” said Dr. Alec D Gallimore, University of Michigan Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering.
Gallimore says this is important because the obstacles are real.
“It's too expensive. The machines can’t learn fast enough,” said Trevor Pawl, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer as he described the challenges.
Don’t misunderstand. Pawl says he believes by finding ways to create an exponential increase in learning, the challenges will be overcome.
“The truth is in the last year there has been $12 billion invested in AV (autonomous vehicle) companies,” said Pawl.
Pawl says the goal is to overcome obstacles in a way that leads to investments in Michigan businesses.
“Those are things Michigan should lead on. And these are investments that get us at the table first,” he said.
"NSF invests in a broad array of fundamental research and new technologies for smart transportation, ranging from semiconductors and microelectronics to wireless communication, contactless electric vehicle charging, and artificial intelligence," said Susan Margulies, NSF assistant director for engineering, in a statement quoted in a press release. "Testing these vehicle technologies in real-world scenarios is an essential step for transferring innovations to businesses, communities, and drivers."
