Real-world test of driverless vehicles to be conducted in Michigan, Ontario
The automated driving vehicles will cross into Windsor, Ontario before going north to Sarnia, Ontario and return back into Michigan. The first cross-border demonstration of its kind, this drive allows Continental and Magna, as well as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), to test automated driving technology in a variety of settings.
Through Continental’s Cruising Chauffeur function, the vehicles will be able to take over driving tasks on various roadways in accordance with traffic regulations. Once Cruising Chauffeur is activated, data analyzed in a central control unit called Assisted & Automated Driving Control Unit (ADCU) is used to generate a 360-degree model of the vehicle’s surroundings. In combination with a high-resolution map, the system recognises all moving and static objects, as well as the layout of the roadway ahead. The drive will demonstrate how the vehicles’ multiple camera, radar and LiDAR sensors will interact while being driven underwater through the concrete Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and across the steel Blue Water Bridge. Continental’s worldwide development of automated driving includes six key elements: sensor technology, cluster connectivity, human-machine dialog, system architecture, reliability and the acceptance of automated driving.
Continental has been testing automated driving on public roads for more than five years with engineering teams spread across locations in the U.S., Europe, China and Japan.
To mark the event as the latest example of partnerships in the Great Lakes region, MDOT and OMT will sign a memorandum of understanding at the drive’s completion to further promote and foster growth of connected and autonomous technology testing and deployment, supporting both Michigan and Ontario’s economic interests and technological advancements by enabling job-creating growth for both jurisdictions. This is the second such agreement between Michigan and Ontario to ensure that the region remains competitive as the automotive landscape evolves.
Ontario and Michigan’s history of collaboration is not only driving innovation within the auto industry, but connecting businesses across the border and advancing both countries’ knowledge-based economies. These moves will help ensure that the Great Lakes Automotive cluster emerge as the epicentre of automotive innovation.
