Self-Driving Cars: Understanding Development Opportunities

PRIA, VÖSI (AT)

Hardly a day goes by without a news story about self-driving cars. Companies are investing huge sums in the development of autonomous vehicles. Ford recently paid $1 billion to acquire a company that specializes in R&D on systems for self-driving cars. Research nationwide and throughout the EU is focusing on autonomous driving. All major carmakers and a few newcomers such as Google and Apple aim to bring out a self-driving car by 2021.

RoboCar is an initiative to spotlight some trendy, cool technology to make young people aware of what is happening now and what future prospects are emerging in the ICT (IT, communication and technology) sector. Interest among young people in careers in the ICT sector is still far too low in comparison to personnel requirements.

There are too few IT apprentices, secondary technical school students interested in IT, and ICT companies offering training in this field. Our aim is to promote enthusiasm among young people for careers in the ICT sector, to interest them in training in this field and to acquaint them with the types of jobs available. Our aim is to promote better contacts between young people who plan to pursue higher education and the ICT sector in general and the VÖSI companies in particular.

Workshop with Young People from the BFI Upper Austria

Self-Driving Cars—Model Construction and Programming

The Ars Electronica Center has been collaborating with the BFI (Careers Advancement Institute) since spring 2017 to give youngsters the opportunity to work on projects in conjunction with the Ars Electronica Festival. The aim is to open up bright prospects for these young people and to strengthen their self-confidence as a solid foundation for their occupational future. In five sessions, the youngsters get support from experts in converting a remote-controlled model car into a self-driving car.

Credits

VÖSI – The Austrian Software Industry Association represents the interests of Austria’s top IT companies. VÖSI was founded in 1986 and currently includes about 30 large and medium-size software and IT companies. Without a healthy software industry, Austria as a business location would be in danger of becoming an auxiliary workshop of more innovative countries.

PRIA – Practical Robotics Institute Austria: Our vision is to prepare and motivate the next generation of researchers, engineers and scientists, and to be the go-to address for pedagogical applications in robotics and ICT.