CMU hosts bipartisan event to unveil new autonomous vehicle legislation
In a move to strengthen Pennsylvania's leadership in the autonomous vehicle industry, Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and Yassmin Gramian, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, unveiled legislation authorizing the testing and commercial deployment of highly automated vehicles (AV) today at Carnegie Mellon University's Mill 19 facility at Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh.
In his remarks at the event, CMU President Farnam Jahanian emphasized that collaboration among government, academia and industry have propelled the state's autonomous vehicle industry forward, beginning when CMU Professor Red Whittaker built a small autonomous vehicle to aid in the clean up after the 1979 nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg.
"Since that time, research and technology has grown exponentially here in Western Pennsylvania, creating an entire industry — and thousands of great jobs," Jahanian said. "I am tremendously proud of the many CMU spin-outs or affiliated companies that are leading in this space, including Argo AI, Aurora, Locomation and Motional."
