In August, people in northern Virginia may have noticed that a driverless Ford Transit Connect van was cruising the streets -- in fact, the vehicle even drew the interest of local news media. As it turns out, the vehicle was not actually operating in full autonomous mode -- there was indeed a driver, although he was wearing a costume that looked like a car seat.
MYSTERY SOLVED! Spoiler: It was us. Here’s why: https://t.co/jsWBBZokKG#CityofTomorrow https://t.co/WIJM8WXmdx
— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) September 13, 2017
The experiment was all part of a real-world study performed by Ford and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that was meant to determine the best ways for an autonomous vehicle to communicate with people. In the end, researchers determined that the ideal method was through the use of lighting signals that indicate the vehicle's intent.
Researchers plan to use data captured during the study to understand if other road users adjust their behaviors in response to the signals from self-driving vehicles.
At Malouf Ford, we're proud to be associated with a such a forward-thinking automaker and we look forward to future developments. If you'd check out our current inventory of vehicles, stop on by our showroom at 2210 U.S. Highway One in North Brunswick.