Ford aims to accelerate self-driving tech by testing in a simulated city

While Volvo is putting a fleet of 100 self-driving XC90 SUVs onto the streets of Gothenburg in 2017 to demonstrate the reliability of the company's Auto Pilot system, Ford is sticking to testing its autonomous tech on a closed circuit.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but testing an autonomous car in a closed, simulated urban environment like the University of Michigan's Mcity actually accelerates development time. That's because, unlike driving on open public roads and hoping to encounter distinctive obstacles and challenges, in a controlled environment, researchers can toss hundreds of virtual hurdles at the car's self-driving systems in a short amount of time. Read more...