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If you’re driving along and you pass a car beside you with no-one inside driving, you just might be in Ontario.

The provincial government has changed the rules to allow testing of fully autonomous vehicles, without someone behind the wheel.  Testing of vehicles with no-one in the driver’s seat has been done on closed tracks, while some testing has been allowed on public roads but with someone in the driver’s seat just in case.

The common misconception when it comes to automation is that it just happens. Like the Terminator stepping from a crackling energy bubble transported from the future, it just arrives fully intact, ready to go.

Roboticists are quick to point out that reality occurs much more slowly. Automation, instead, happens one small step at a time over the course of many years.

Such is the case with cars, which are on their way to becoming self-driving. But, as per the truism of robotic reality, it’s happening more gradually than some proponents may suggest. Also, the process has been under way for decades.

‘To our knowledge, nobody in the world is doing this,’ says researcher

WATERLOO, ONT. — A research project aimed at developing three-dimensional, high-definition mapping (3D HD) could give Ontario an edge in the race to develop autonomous vehicles.

The new technology would give self-driving cars functional capabilities to handle any type of weather, and would be marketed commercially without any proprietary rights.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo reached an important milestone this summer by logging their 100th kilometre on public roads in a self-driving car.

Recorded in an industrial area of Waterloo, it was the culmination of almost two years of work since the research team won approval from the Ontario government to do on-road testing in an autonomous vehicle pilot program.

Reducing the number of people killed in road accidents is an important and challenging task. Many  aspects that contribute to improving vehicle safety will help to achieve this goal. Significant efforts are being made by car manufacturers globally to improve the safety performance of new vehicles.

The University of Waterloo will partner with leading institutes in China to advance research in the areas of connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

The partnership between Waterloo and the Qingdao Academy of Intelligent Industries (QAII) and the State Key Laboratory for Management and Control of Complex Systems (SKL-MCCS) was solidified in an agreement recently signed by all parties.

Join us as WatCAR's own Green and Intelligent Automotive (GAIA) Powertrain Researcher, Stefanie Bruinsma, shows how a woman can teach you the basics of vehicle maintenance and minor repairs. This is a great workshop for anyone with a vehicle, or plan on purchasing one in the future, to learn what you can do to maintain your transportation. 

By Lauren Ward

Being a female in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field is one of the most difficult undertakings, with many barriers that women have to overcome to succeed. The Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research’s (WatCAR) own Stefanie Bruinsma had an amazing opportunity to share her experiences within the engineering industry on panel at The Everyday Wonder Woman: Panel Discussion and Movie Screening event hosted by University of Waterloo’s Women in Engineering on March 8th, 2018 at the Princess Twin Cinemas in Uptown Waterloo.

When the University’s senior leaders were looking for a service-related department to consider alternative energy vehicles,Central Storesanswered the call and has added a hybrid service vehicle to its fleet.

This hybrid van will be used to transport Central Stores staff around both on and off campus, primarily using electric power. The van will support Central Stores’ services, including freight and mail pickup and delivery, bulk mailing, shipping, receiving, office/departmental moves, event setup, and other initiatives.