The University of Michigan is building a mock city and highway on 32 acres that will serve as a testing facility for autonomous vehicles starting in the fall.
To be run by U-M's Mobility Transformation Center in Southeast Michigan, the facility will have intersections, stoplights and merge lanes just like a real city, TechCrunch reported.
Comprising a simulated city center and a four-lane highway, the facility will be built over the summer and should be open by the fall, said a U-M press release. The mock city will allow self-driving cars to be tested in everyday driving conditions, including traffic signals and pedestrians who cross the street without looking.
"We will actually be writing code for the test facility," said Edwin Olson, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering, in the press release. "We'll be able to trigger tricky traffic signal timings, or a pedestrian stepping into the intersection at just the wrong time, for example."
Other elements will include roundabouts, road signs, a railroad crossing, building facades, construction barrels and eventually a mechanical pedestrian, according to U-M.
"The type of testing we're talking about doing--it's not possible to do today in the university infrastructure," said Ryan Eustice, an associate professor of naval architecture and marine engineering. "Every time a vehicle comes around the loop, it can hit something unusual. That will give us a leg up on getting these vehicles mature and robust and safe."
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