DOT Gives Michigan and Two Other States Grants for AV Research
The U.S. Department of Transportation has given three states grants for autonomous vehicle research: Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio. Per CNET’s Sean Szymkowski, the department currently has $60 million in grants for this purpose and will eventually bestow more grants on other states.
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The grants and their applications
Virginia received $15 million, while Michigan and Ohio received $7.5 million apiece. Each state plans on allocating the grant funds in different ways. Virginia will put the funds toward two projects: an evaluation of driverless-truck systems and a study on how AVs communicate and interact in an ideal setting.
Michigan will use the funds for various self-driving car tests and research efforts. Though, some of the funds will also support Michigan Mobility Collaborative’s development of an evaluation process for determining the safety of AV models.
Lastly, Ohio will designate the funds to support a spectrum of driverless car efforts throughout the state. It will enable independent initiatives like DriveOhio to pursue new projects in the smart and connected vehicle sphere.
Photo: General Motors
The current state of self-driving techÂ
Though semi-autonomous vehicle systems like GM Cruise are beginning to pervade the public market, fully-autonomous models still have a long way to go to. Researchers are still seeking ways to protect these car’s systems from hacks that could trigger city gridlocks. Engineers are seeking how to increase the accuracy of AV model’s perception of the road by tweaking their camera, lidar, and radar systems.
The DOT’s funding in Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio should help accelerate statewide endeavors to improve AV technology. It will be interesting to see how other states leverage this funding when they receive their own driverless-car grants down the road.
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News Source: CNET
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