Discussion of autonomous driving. AutoSens returns to Detroit

AutoSens, the global autonomous driving summit, is being held in Detroit, Michigan. AutoSens covers almost every aspect of autonomous driving, from supply chain, infrastructure and engineering to legal, financial and ethical considerations.

Collaboration and creativity

During the week-long event that focuses on the biggest challenges facing autonomous cars, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors will actively draw on each other's expertise. Collaboration and creativity are central themes of AutoSens. Professionals in the field are encouraged to share ideas and develop solutions to the obstacles facing autonomous driving.

“AutoSens, in short, is a global engineering forum for people who work with vehicle sensing systems,” explained Robert Stead, Managing Director of Sense Media, AutoSens' parent company. This could be component development, coding software algorithms, making decisions on how to build a complete system, quality assurance, testing, or any other important function in developing efficient, affordable, and reliable systems, keeping in mind the high standards of the automotive industry.”

Photo: Alex Hartman for Sense Media.

Live demos

On the first day, Tuesday, May 15, there were numerous demonstrations of autonomous vehicles at Wayne State University. Participants could drive autonomous vehicles from three different companies: Lincoln MKZ, Chrysler Pacifica, and a modified Tesla.

Demonstrations are a hallmark of AutoSens, both in Detroit and Brussels, and remain a favorite with attendees. “There was a constant stream of people all day,” Stead said.

Fresh and focused

On Wednesday and Thursday, 16 and 17 May, there will be expert speakers. Speakers include representatives from Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as major suppliers such as Bosch, Valeo and Magna. There are also scheduled speeches by representatives of MIT, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Washington and Michigan.

“There will be fresh, cutting-edge technical information,” Stead said. It's all about engineering and good quality technical presentations."

While networking is an important aspect of AutoSens, the event is not a trade show and organizers are keen to keep it that way.

“We want to show what the actual status quo is in developing advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle technologies,” Stead explained. No hype, no marketing. Everything is geared towards understanding the real problems that systems engineers face today.”

Photo: Alex Hartman for Sense Media.

Public aspects

AutoSens is geared towards the engineering community, but you don't have to be an engineer. Professionals in other fields that are related to the automotive industry should visit AutoSens.

“We see a lot of who was last year coming back and new people coming in,” Stead said.