Michigan Science Center and Ford Motor Company reveal interactive autonomous vehicle experience

To educate the community on the future of transportation, the Michigan Science Center (MiSci) partnered with Ford Motor Company to create MiSci’s first autonomous vehicle exhibit. Built by Ford engineers and developers working closely with MiSci, the one-of-a-kind exhibit resembles a vehicle of the future that MiSci guests can engage with and explore inside to learn about autonomous vehicles through interactive displays and a simulation.

“A key part of Ford’s efforts to build a self-driving business across this country is educating people on how the vehicles operate autonomously, as well as the benefits they provide,” said John Rich, Director of Autonomous Vehicle Technology, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC. “Through this interactive experience at the Michigan Science Center, our goal is to build trust in self-driving technology and inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and mathematicians to pursue a career in transportation.”

The exhibit will allow MiSci guests to learn how autonomous vehicles operate and make decisions without a human driver using data that is collected through 3D maps, cameras, sensors and LiDAR. It also includes an interactive LiDAR simulation to show how an autonomous vehicle sees the environment around it, such as pedestrians and other cars, as it drives. MiSci guests will even be able to take a photo of their experience to keep and share digitally.

“The Michigan Science Center is honored to work with Ford to bring this unique learning experience to our guests,” said Christian Greer, president and CEO of the Michigan Science Center. “The Ford Autonomous Vehicle exhibit demonstrates how science and technology is being used in Michigan to transform the automotive industry and the future of driving.”

Ford is working closely with its self-driving technology partner Argo AI to test self-driving vehicles on public roads in Metro Detroit, including the Corktown neighborhood, among other U.S. cities. Ford also plans to launch a self-driving commercial service in Austin, Miami and Washington D.C. to provide a mobility solution that seeks to make people’s lives better.

The Ford Autonomous Vehicle exhibit joins the Michigan Science Center’s existing 220+ hands-on exhibits, live shows, Spark!Lab from the Smithsonian, Kids Town and more. Visit mi-sci.org to learn about MiSci’s Summer of Science, ECHO Distance Learning, and science experiments you can try at home.