Simraceway & Aurora Technologies on Bloomberg
In Autonomous Vehicles, Company News, SVOBloomberg recently dropped by to see how we train autonomous vehicle (AV) operators at Simraceway.
While you may not be sharing the road with a production-ready autonomous vehicle quite yet, the technology is developing quickly and is well underway to making a profound impact on our future mobility. That being said, everyone knows driving is a complicated activity and that our roadways can be dangerous. It takes clear, quick thinking, good judgment, and most of all, lots of practice. The truth is, even with those things, the best drivers can still have accidents.
Aurora Technologies aims to change that, and Simraceway is proud to serve them as their training partner.
How Aurora Tech Shifts the Auto Industry into a New Gear
At Simraceway, we train the trainers whether they’re human or machine, and Aurora Technologies is a leading light in the space.
Founded in 2017 by a group of engineers from Google, Tesla, and Uber, Aurora Technologies teaches computers how to drive using software that learns from the behavior of human drivers. The result is quite spectacular.
It turns out that teaching a computer and a person to drive both require one essential thing: a good instructor. Aurora’s AV operators are the driving teachers for self-driving cars. They are the ones who test out their computer system in the chaos of real streets and traffic.
Operators switch between driving the car and letting it drive itself. The computer uses an array of senses to see the street and make a map of traffic signals, lanes, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. Using this information, it can navigate through various complex maneuvers.
If anything goes wrong, the system turns off and the operator regains control. The data is then collected and sent to a team of engineers who work on improving the program.
Simraceway Trains Autonomous Vehicle operators with AVOL 1 Certification
Because operators teach by example and must always be ready in the event of a system error, their needs to be an expert behind the wheel. Operators are hired based on their driving abilities as well as undergoing a complete 6-week training course. That’s where Simraceway comes in.
Good driving isn’t only about using your turn signal and braking smoothly. It’s about knowing how to handle the car when something out of the ordinary happens. For self-driving cars to improve road safety, they need to know how to act in an emergency.
The AVOL 1 certification from Simraceway gives each vehicle operator the technical driving skills they need to be good safety stewards in the transition to the future. The course includes advanced driving techniques such as high-speed emergency braking, high-speed accident avoidance, and skid recovery. It also focuses on the specific needs of AV operators and the particular awareness needed to work with self-driving cars.
Before any cars will be driving alone, they will be under the strict supervision of a human operator. Having proficient drivers is the key to reliable self-driving cars. Simraceway understands this importance and since 2009, we’ve trained more autonomous vehicle operators than anyone in the world.
Safety is the Future
Driving is a huge responsibility and the repercussions can be life or death. Before self-driving cars can make our roads safer, they need to be thoroughly taught and tested by human experts. With Aurora Technologies at Simraceway, the movement is gaining speed.
