Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland is the newest of the 12 institutions in the State University System of Florida. It’s the state's only public polytechnic university, focusing solely on STEM education. In the past few years it’s gotten out ahead when it comes to research into autonomous vehicle technology with its Advanced Mobility Institute.
Add to that its proximity to the new SunTrax facility being developed by the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise that’s dedicated to researching and developing emerging transportation technologies like autonomous vehicles, and legislation signed into law earlier this year by Governor DeSantis that will allow self-driving vehicles with no humans on board to operate in Florida—once they're finally deemed safe enough—and you’ve pretty much got a recipe for success in the world of autonomous vehicles, right here in the Sunshine State.
We’re learning about the Advanced Mobility Institute’s work, and a $350-thousand dollar grant from the National Science Foundation that will allow them to extend their research, with Dr. Arman Sargolzaei, he’s an assistant professor of electrical engineering and the grant’s lead investigator.
