General Motors and SAE International Partner for Driverless Vehicle Competition for Colleges
Ten teams from colleges and universities in the United States and Canada will have the opportunity to develop technology to power a driverless vehicle, thanks to a three-year competition spearheaded by General Motors and SAE International. The competition, named the AutoDrive Challenge, will officially begin in 2018.
“SAE International is excited to expand our partnership with GM to build the future STEM workforce through the AutoDrive Challenge,” said Chris Ciuca, the Director of Pre-Professional Programs at SAE International, via press release.
“Building on our success through programs like Formula SAE, the AutoDrive Challenge launches a new platform to engage industry and academia in working towards a common goal of preparing the brightest young minds for the future of autonomous technologies.”
The participating colleges and universities, which will be announced publicly next year, will have three years to develop the autonomous technology for a GM-provided Chevrolet Bolt, so that the vehicle can maneuver autonomously on an urban driving course.
Some of the applications that the schools will focus on in the development of the vehicle include sensing technologies, machine learning and autonomous vehicle controls.
GM vice president of global vehicle components and subsystems Ken Kelzer said, “AutoDrive Challenge is another way General Motors is preparing the next generation of automotive engineers.”
“By partnering with SAE, we will offer a unique experience for students to work with industry professionals to tackle the next big opportunity facing vehicle technology - autonomous driving.”
The past week has been eventful for the state of Michigan and its journey through the world of autonomous driving, as last week, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation that will now allow companies to test driverless vehicles on public roads without the presence of a driver or steering wheel in the vehicle.
Also, the University of Michigan welcomed the Navya Arma driverless shuttle to its campus last week to provide tours of Mcity, the university’s test site for autonomous vehicles.
