Ford's autonomous vehicle exhibit aims to spark interest in self-driving cars

Ford Motor and US' Michigan Science Center (MiSci) have partnered to create MiSci's first autonomous vehicle exhibit in order to educate the society about the future of transportation.

The vehicle exhibit, built by Ford engineers and developers over a year of planning, will engage public and allow them to explore the inside of it to learn about autonomous vehicles through interactive displays and a simulation.

The exhibit will give an insight into how autonomous vehicles operate and make decisions without a human driver. It shows how they use data that is collected through 3D maps, cameras, sensors and LiDAR. It also includes an interactive LiDAR simulation to show how an autonomous vehicle sees the environment around it, such as pedestrians and other cars, as it drives.

Ford's autonomous vehicle exhibit

Guests at the exhibit will also be able to take a photo of their experience to keep and share digitally. Ford says the exhibit is a part of its efforts to educate people about how vehicles operate autonomously, as well as the benefits they provide. "Our goal is to build trust in self-driving technology and inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and mathematicians to pursue a career in transportation," says John Rich, Director of Autonomous Vehicle Technology, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC.

Ford is working closely with its self-driving technology partner Argo AI to test self-driving vehicles on public roads in Detroit among other US cities. The company also plans to launch a self-driving commercial service in Austin, Miami and Washington DC to provide a mobility solution that seeks to make people’s lives better.