Arizona's self-driving car tech community ran into a few rough patches in recent months, but it's forging on now. As of writing, several tech companies are currently testing autonomous car tech in the state, including Google's autonomous car division Waymo, and Uber.
However, to ensure the future of self-driving cars will be a safe one, Arizona has developed the Institute for Automated Mobility (IAM), which aims to develop autonomous car "industry standards" by bringing together experienced researchers, industry leaders, and a "public sector team." One of the group's founding members is Intel - apparently, the tech giant played a "key role" in defining the structure and goals of the IAM.
"Arizona is committed to providing the leadership and knowledge necessary to integrate these technologies into the world’s transportation systems," said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in a statement.
While it remains to be seen how effective the IAM will be in the end, such an organization certainly couldn't hurt. Even if it's beginning to recover now, the public's trust in self-driving vehicles has eroded slightly following numerous fatal crashes this year. With a little luck, the IAM's work could lead to improved safety down the line.
So, how will the IAM's members go about accomplishing their goals? According to Arizona's Commerce Authority, the organization will conduct "groundbreaking industry-led research and development supporting the establishment of uniform standards and smart policy" around self-driving technology. The end goal for the IAM is to create numerous facilities designed for "complex research and testing scenarios."
These facilities will be able to test the limits of autonomous vehicle AI, hopefully discovering and fixing any dangerous flaws before the tech hits public roads in earnest.
https://www.techspot.com/news/76907-arizona-partners-tech-industry-create-self-driving-car.html
