Florida Polytechnic University Teams Up with MIT for Course in Driverless Vehicle Development
Florida Polytechnic University, in partnership with MIT, will introduce the “Autonomous Systems and Self-Driving Vehicles” course next year to its campus.
The course will be taught by Dr. Dean Bushey, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology at the university. Bushey, who is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with 10+ years of experience working with autonomous systems, will have help from professors from MIT, where the course will also be taught.
The course will see groups of five students work together to upgrade a small race car, with the eventual goal of racing the cars. The students will equip the cars with the proper technology so that it can autonomously follow a yellow line, stop at a red light, and stop for sudden obstacles.
“This is the future of transportation, so we’re preparing students to be comfortable in this new world and to be ready to advance it,” Bushey said via the Florida Trend.
Florida Poly President Dr. Randy K. Avent said, “hands-on learning is one of the key foundations of this institution. Autonomous and connected vehicles are emerging industries and we have a unique opportunity here at Florida Poly to lead innovation in this industry.”
So far, 15 students have signed up for the course. Bushey explained the fervor surrounding the new program on campus by saying, “it’s an easy sell. They’re very excited about the prospect of a car that drives itself.”
The timing of this course is perfect, as there is a new testing facility called SunTrax being built near the University. SunTrax is a project of the University and the Florida Department of Transportation.
