Photo from the Mcity website
It makes sense to have a proving grounds like this in Southeast Michigan to test cars of the future and compete with Silicon Valley.
Michael Martinez of the Detroit News reports that Mcity, a 32-acre proving ground in Ann Arbor that could help Michigan better compete with Silicon Valley in developing driverless car technology, will be unveiled Monday. The site was developed by the University of Michigan and its partners and is operated by the Mobility Transportation Center, a public/private partnership.
The manufactured town, the News reports, will include about five miles of roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals, sidewalks, benches, simulated buildings, street lights and obstacles such as construction barriers.
The News reports:
Automakers and suppliers can use the test town to test out everything from driverless cars to telematics systems. The site was developed by the University of Michigan and its partners and is operated by the Mobility Transportation Center, a public/private partnership.
The Mcity website says this about the providing grounds:
Testing new technologies in a realistic off-roadway environment is an essential step before a significant number of highly automated vehicles can be deployed safely on actual roadways. Working with the Michigan Department of Transportation, U-M researchers have designed Mcity, a unique test facility for evaluating the capabilities of connected and automated vehicles and systems.
Occupying 32 acres at the University’s North Campus Research Complex, Mcity simulates the broad range of complexities vehicles encounter in urban and suburban environments. It includes approximately five lane-miles of roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals, sidewalks, benches, simulated buildings, street lights, and obstacles such as construction barriers. Current plans call for the facility be operational by spring 2015.
