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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa will seek approval from the Board of Regents for an institute dedicated to driverless cars and other automated vehicles.
The institute would be based on a partnership with a private company, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported (http://icp-c.com/1uH7XI4 ). The university's proposal cites its own National Advanced Driving Simulator, along with the state's open spaces, as ideal for testing and commercializing the driverless technology.
"It's bold but well thought out, and it's perfectly timed for where the university is at and where the industry is at," said Mark Nolte, president of the Iowa City Area Development Group. "So I hope the regents are supportive."
The Board of Regents is set to consider the proposal Wednesday.
Supporters of the Autonomous, Intelligent Machines and Systems Institute, a proposed nonprofit intended to be primarily funded through federal grants, are asking the board's approval for $3 million over a three-year period. The institute would have a governing body comprised of industry and university officials.
David Conrad, the university's assistant vice president for economic development, said initial funding would be used for personnel, equipment and infrastructure costs for the institute.
Conrad said it would be ideally located at the university's Research Park.
It's bold but well thought out, and it's perfectly timed for where the university is at and where the industry is at. So I hope the regents are supportive.
–Mark Nolte, president of the Iowa City Area Development Group
Last week, Carnegie Mellon University engineers successfully transported a Pennsylvania congressman in a driverless 2011 Cadillac SRX more than 30 miles to an airport. Modifications to the vehicle started in 2008 after the university won $2 million in a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency competition. Those vehicle changes included radar, laser rangefinders and infrared cameras to detect traffic.
"So there's a lot of work that has yet to be done, but the technology is there and it's getting better every day," Nolte said.
Johnson County last month became the first U.S. jurisdiction to encourage autonomous vehicle testing as a public safety and economic development initiative.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation that would welcome companies to use the area for testing driverless car operations.
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Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/
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