REMOTE, RURAL, AND FULLY PLUGGED IN BY ALLISON MILLS
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hen people imagine the peak of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, they probably picture something out of the Jetsons. But with modern automotive technology that image is too cartoonish. The innovations happening today may lead us to flying cars and other uncanny transportation the same way sci-fi cartoons envisioned tech like smart watches and household robots. But revolution can look surprisingly familiar at first. In mobility research at Michigan Technological University, engineers, scientists and mathematicians challenge the cartoon view of what the Fourth Industrial Revolution could look like for Michigan.
Named for the Greek deities of knowledge, learning and the north wind, Michigan Tech’s Prometheus Borealis team placed fourth overall in the second round of the AutoDrive Challenge, a three-year collegiate design competition sponsored by SAE International and GM. Students from the College of Engineering, College of Computing and College of Sciences and Arts team up to tackle the software and hardware challenges of making a fully operational autonomous vehicle—a feat many will kick off in careers as well.
30 | TechCentury | Summer 2020
