Following the launch of self-driving service in Pittsburgh last
week, Uber is increasing its investment in autonomous vehicles with a new
research center in Detroit.
Uber vice president of global vehicle development Sherif
Marakby announced the Detroit facility would open within the next few months,
according to the Detroit Free Press.
While Uber has not released details on the facility's size and scope, it will focus
on collaboration with supplier partners.
On Wednesday, Uber began its pilot of self-driving vehicles
in Pittsburgh, where the company set up its Advanced Technologies Center 18
months ago. Its "most loyal Pittsburgh customers" are able to hail
the driverless vehicles, when available, according to a blog post by Uber CEO
and co-founder Travis Kalanick and Anthony Levandowski, the founder of
self-driving technology developer Otto, which Uber acquired. The cars still
have a safety driver in the front as a precaution.
Even as testing and technology improvements ultimately
negate the need for safety drivers, the two wrote, "we believe ridesharing
will be a mix, with services provided by both drivers and self-driving
Ubers."
Another developer, nuTonomy, began
testing a driverless taxi service in Singapore in August, also using onboard
engineers as a safety backup.