Toyota and Discovery Education Host Peek into the Future of Mobility Immersive Educational Experience to Explore Artificial Intelligence and Automated Vehicles
PLANO, Texas and SILVER SPRING, Md. – Rather than take a bus on a field trip, Toyota and Discovery Education has brought the latest in automotive technology to students in their classrooms. Toyota Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan opened its doors to middle and high school students nationwide through a free virtual field trip. The event, Cars of the Future: Artificial Intelligence and Automated Vehicles, explores science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts through an in-class activity. Students can see how TRI is using artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics to develop smarter automated vehicles. To assist teachers, an educator guide for the virtual field trip is available for download. “Toyota is working on cutting-edge AI research, and we are excited to show students how we are applying that to vehicle automation and robotics to ignite their passion in STEM,” said Ryan Eustice, senior vice president of Automated Driving, Toyota Research Institute. Students also get an insiders’ tour of the University of Michigan’s Mcity, the one of a kind urban test facility where industry, government and academia come together to improve transportation, safety, sustainability, and accessibility for the benefit of society. The Ann Arbor Public Schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan are one of hundreds of school districts across the U.S. expected to participate in the virtual field trip. “Students will be able to see how the curriculum and hands-on skills we practice daily are implemented into the technological world around them; specifically, in the real world work at Toyota,” explains Tom Pachera, Ann Arbor Public Schools STEAM Coordinator. The Virtual Field Trip is the part of Toyota’s TeenDrive365 initiative, which offers a range of content, tools and resources designed specifically for educators, teens and parents. Available at no cost to classrooms nationwide, these resources include: standards-aligned lesson plans for grades 9-12; activities that teach appropriate behaviors for young drivers and passengers.