University of Michigan Launches Mcity to Test Self-Driving Cars

Photo Credit: University of Michigan Alumni Association

JACKSON, Mich. – Recently, Ford Motor Co. did away with any speculation surrounding its efforts to produce an autonomous vehicle and got down to business. It turns out the automaker is moving closer to autonomous vehicle development and expects to have a model ready in the not-so-distant future.

Coincidentally, the University of Michigan launched Mcity to test self-driving cars in July 2015. As the university put it, Mcity is a controlled environment designed to grow an understanding of and the development of connected and automated vehicle technologies that could pave the way for driverless cars.

The 32-acre testing ground, located on U­–M's North Campus Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., replicates urban and suburban environments through a system of roads that adds up to 5 miles and includes intersections, roundabouts, roadway markings, and traffic signs and signals. To make the simulation as accurate as possible, Mcity also includes sidewalks, bus facilities, benches, simulated buildings, streetlights, parked cars, robotic pedestrians, and random obstructions like construction barriers.

Video from University of Michigan Office of Research

According to the university, U–M’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC) team was carried out the design and development of Mcity to test self-driving cars. MTC is an alliance of the U­–M Transportation Research Institute, the College of Engineering, a number of automotive companies, and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Thanks to U–M’s deep interest in contributing research to the future of autonomous vehicles, companies like Ford will have another vantage point to gain insight from as it continues to move forward in the development of its own autonomous vehicle technology. We look forward to the beneficial research that will come from Mcity, and we can’t wait to see how Ford and other companies utilize that information as they develop autonomous vehicle technology.

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