LAKELAND, Fla. -- At Florida Polytechnic University, the road to the future is lined with cardboard and painter's tape. Students demonstrated the miniature self-driving cars they built for a class on small tracks to people visiting for an international conference on driverless cars.
“Do you like reading books while you're on your way to work?” David Ciccarello asked, noting one of the advantages of autonomous cars.
The students’ cars are equipped with cameras and sensors, so if they detect an object in front of them, they can stop on a dime.
The cars are just a small part of Florida Poly's commitment to the cutting edge. The college is also partnering with FDOT on its SunTrax test facility. It's specifically designed for self-driving cars and is set to open next year.
“This is one of the few technologies that's going to change the world,” Dr. Rahul Razdan, a professor at Florida Polytechnic University, said.
He spoke at the conference about how self-driving cars could be better for the environment. They could be put to work instead of sitting in parking lots and driveways and reduce the number of cars on the road. Additionally, autonomous vehicles could drive closer together, like train cars, drafting off the leader.
“Their energy usage is lower,” Razdan explained. “Therefore, overall energy output is lower, including emissions are lower.”
That technology could be years away, but Razdan and his students hope Florida Polytechnic University paves the way for self-driving cars.
