As part of a new agreement, Ford plans to embed a group of its researchers and engineers into a robotics laboratory on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.
by Staff
September 17, 2016
Ford will move a dozen researchers into the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan by the end of this year. Photo courtesy of Ford.
2 min to read
Ford will move a dozen researchers into the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan by the end of this year. Photo courtesy of Ford.
As part of Ford Motor Co.’s quest to accelerate autonomous vehicle development, the automaker will embed some of its researchers and engineers into a robotics laboratory that’s expected to open on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus in 2020.
Additionally, Ford will move a dozen researchers into the university’s North Campus Research Complex by the end of this year.
Ad Loading...
“Ford engineers and researchers will begin working shoulder-to-shoulder with U-M faculty and students to test and learn about autonomous vehicle technology and innovation,” said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. “We are aiming to show the world what we can achieve when leaders in business and academia work together to make people’s lives better.”
This new collaboration is the latest in a series of actions intended to move Ford closer to having a fully autonomous vehicle available for high-volume commercial use in 2021.
Ten years into the Ford-University of Michigan Innovation Alliance, the two parties have agreed that Ford will lease the fourth floor of the new robotics laboratory. It is an approximately 140,000-square-foot building on Hayward Street, east of the university’s Space Research Building.
The planned robotics laboratory will have space where machines walk, fly, drive, and swim. The building will house labs, offices, and classrooms. The facility will continue a tradition of robotics leadership at U-M that includes the creation of MABEL, the world’s fastest-running robot with knees.
By locating a team of more than 100 employees on campus, Ford benefits from being close to technical leaders as well as facilities, such as Mcity – an urban simulation test environment in Ann Arbor, Ford said.
Ad Loading...
Ford has been testing autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years. Last fall, the company became the first automaker to begin testing at Mcity. Ford is also tripling its fleet of autonomous research vehicles this year.
Distracted driving remains one of the most persistent risks in fleet operations. New approaches focus on removing mobile device use entirely while adding real-time safety support.
As distraction risks evolve, fleets are turning to smarter, more connected technologies to better understand what’s happening behind the wheel. Part 2 explores how these tools are helping identify risky behaviors and improve visibility across operations.
Distracted driving is often measured by what we can see—phones in hand, eyes off the road. But what about the distractions we can’t? A recent incident raises a bigger question about awareness, attention, and why subtle risks so often go unnoticed.
Fleets have more driver data than ever, so why isn't behavior changing? Training requires more than reports and coaching — it requires real-world practice.
A two-part conversation with Stefan Heck on how AI is transforming the fight against distracted driving. As fleets adopt smarter tools, the focus shifts from reacting to preventing risk. In Part 1, we look at where AI is making an impact for fleets today.
An 11% drop in pedestrian fatalities in early 2025 signals progress in U.S. road safety, but elevated death rates and ongoing risks underscore the need for continued action from fleets and policymakers.
