Ford Motor Co, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University are working together on the "technical challenges" of the automated car technology.
During the opening of the annual Washington Auto Show, Ford CEO Mark Fields revealed its automated Fusion Hybrid research car and announced that the company is working with two of the top Universities in the continent to explore an know more about the automated driving technology.
The research is aiming to make driving safer by developing a vehicle equipped with human-like thinking on the road.
"Our goal in working with MIT and Stanford is to bring a similar type of intuition to the vehicle," said Ford's global manager for research in driver assistance and active safety Greg Stevens said to Reuters.
MIT will be responsible on the forecasting the actions of other vehicles and pedestrians. Thus, enabling the vehicles to steer clear of those objects and plan an alternate safe route.
Stanford University, on the other hand, will take care of the car's movement to allow its sensors to sense obstructions in close proximity.
"Our goal is to offer a level of technology in which a driver is still in control and still able to enjoy the driving experience, but in a better, safer and more efficient way," Fields said to Reuters.
"In the long term, we see a future of connected cars that communicate with each other and with the world around them to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and achieve major environmental benefits. It is likely to bring fully autonomous navigation and parking," he added.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company believes that fully automated car driving, along with alternative fuel vehicles and vehicle-to vehicle communications will take a significant fraction in the future of transportation
The company did not disclose how much it has allotted for the research.
