Detroit Autonomous Transportation Group: Small Cars & Big Dreams

• The Detroit Autonomous Transportation Group is a growing organization in Michigan and Canada.
• Those who love science and technology will feel right at home, but the group is open to everyone.
• Founder Alex Polonsky says the group's mission is to use new technologies to make our world a better place.

Today is Saturday in Ferndale, Michigan, a quiet village just north of mighty Motor City. This is where a group of "techies" who describe themselves are going to share their love of science and innovation. Head to Ann Arbor and the same thing happens at Washtenaw College. A cross-border trip to Ottawa, Canada and another gathering of the same technicians takes place. Each is head of the thriving Detroit Autonomous Automotive Group (DAVG for short), a grassroots organization whose members "democratize technology by taking action."

“We want to provide a free and open place for the community to explore new technologies and fulfill their curiosity about the latest advances such as artificial intelligence and automated robots,” explained Alex Polonsky, founder of DAVG. “It brings us together and gives us a common goal to learn, meet people and have fun.”

Realizing a dream

Polonsky is a bilingual engineer with a passion for mobility and technological innovation. Born in Russia and raised in San Francisco, California, he worked at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, developing next generation waste management systems for the space program. Despite a promising and promising career, Polonsky packed his bags for Motor City in 2011. Today he works as an electronics engineer for the Brose Group in nearby Auburn Hills.

“I decided to fulfill my dream of making a difference with transportation and moved to Detroit,” recalls Polonsky. “Since I moved in, I have been able to combine my passion for cars and technology with autonomous vehicles.”

DAVG founder Alex Polonsky with an autonomous RC car during AutoSens 2018 at the Michigan Science Center. “We really tried to create a fun environment to work on some of the toughest topics in robotics and automation,” he said. During the meetings, the participants build self-driving RC cars.

Filling the void

In February 2017, while attending Udacity's "Nanodegreement for Self-Driving Car" course, Polonsky began to think about creating his own group; one focused on self-driving cars, but another where participants could apply their skills in real-life situations. At the time, there was nothing like DAVG in Detroit. There was no place where automotive enthusiasts and professionals could work together on automation systems in some kind of learning environment. The more Polonsky thought about it, the more it made sense to start something.

"Detroit didn't have anything like our group, and I thought there should actually be something like that," he said. "We have a place where people can have fun learning about the latest sophisticated technology with others."

DAVG currently hosts most of the Saturdays during which members work in their radio controlled vehicles. They hold monthly competitions where they race their creations and learn from each other's experiences. As DAVG continues to grow, the group wants to add more layers to their Saturday gatherings.

“We want to run more races monthly or bimonthly with more complex challenges like navigating a self-driving car through a scalable city,” Polonsky said. “We also want to work on new communication protocols such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. From there, we would like to invent new applications for existing technologies and apply them in new ways.”

Participants collaborate with each other during meetings. The Detroit Autonomous Transportation Group has over 1,000 members in three different chapters.

Bringing new ideas to life

Only two participants were present at the first meeting, but the message spread fairly quickly. Today, the organization has over 1,000 members from chapters in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Ottawa, Canada. DAVG is now the official head of the DIYRobocars Detroit community of over 15,000 members in over 15 countries. Through these associations, some DAVG members have achieved significant success.

“The group at DAVG helped me launch my startup, Passenger AI, from the ground up,” explained CEO Martin Shen. "It sounded great and I even asked one of the band members to create the first prototype."

This prototype will help Shen secure funding for the company's operations in Toronto, Canada. Passenger AI creates robotaxi internal control systems that use machine vision and machine learning. The technology detects human movement and other threats, making robotaxis safer.

“Martin joined DAVG in early 2018, before founding Passenger AI, and was immediately in good shape with his entrepreneurial mindset,” Polonsky said. “He collaborated with a couple of group members to help him build his idea. Two months later, the first prototype was born.”

The Detroit Autonomous Transportation Group drove their radio-controlled cars during AutoSens 2018 at the Michigan Science Center.

Everyone is welcome

Audi RD Senior Engineer Zikang Ma says his days with DAVG are some of the greatest times of his life. Ma currently works for Audi's Highly Automated Driving division, a job he dreamed of has blossomed thanks to the trust he has gained through DAVG.

“This is a great place to start if you want to switch to the future of cars,” explained Ma. “Don't be afraid if you don't have experience now; this is the right place to build a great career if you are looking to learn and progress in the future.”

“We are open to people from all walks of life to join us in learning, having fun and growing the community,” Polonsky added. “We are not limited to only those who know about technology. Instead, we want to share with everyone who is interested to learn and learn more.”

Some members come from completely different areas, and that's okay.

“One of the members of our group, whose experience in the field of political science got into the community,” Polonsky continued. “His favorite part is participating in brainstorming sessions and helping select the technologies we are working on that could change the world.”

Inspiring Young Generations

Starting May 11, DAVG is hosting a Detroit Driving Adventure weekend. The two-day hackathon aims to inspire the imagination of children aged 12 to 17. On Saturday the 11th, children will learn the basics of programming, and then move on to hands-on activities with autonomous RC cars. On Sunday, kids will race their autonomous RC cars, receiving feedback on various categories such as creativity, teamwork and speed.

“The goal is to provide a complete experience, from theory to practical application, in the real world,” Polonsky said.

After Sunday's race, kids can enjoy the F1 simulator provided by OmniSci. On weekends, children will also be able to communicate with industry professionals. A number of influencers in the field are supporting the upcoming hackathon. Companies such as Dataspeed and Intrepid Control Systems; educational institutions such as Lawrence University and the AutoSens World Conference all support this event.

“Our mission is to provide unforgettable experiences when kids want to come back for more and hope they do something amazing later in their lives,” Polonsky added.

One of the goals of DAVG is to inspire today's youth with the promise of science, technology and innovation.

Making the world a better place

The Detroit Autonomous Transportation Group is growing and their community is becoming more dynamic and diverse. Those who are passionate about science, innovation and technology are encouraged to contact DAVG through their official website. A list of upcoming events can be found here. If you consider yourself a techie and want to meet like-minded people, DAVG is the place for you.

“We are a group of techies who share a common vision of using technology to improve the world,” Polonsky said. "Hopefully we can leave this place a little better than we found using technology."

Carl Anthony studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the board of directors of the Ellie Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a dedicated Detroit Lions fan. Before returning to school, he simultaneously held product development and marketing experience positions in the automotive industry.