Sprint said the new track will enable the trial of advanced automotive technology
Sprint announced a collaboration project with the city of Peachtree Corners, Georgia for the development of an intelligent vehicle test track using Sprint’s 5G technology combined with Curiosity IoT and micropositioning.
“Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners” will consist of a 1.5-mile test track constructed within a 500-acre technology park supported by Sprint technology, the carrier said.
“This state-of-the-art lab will serve as a testing facility for the most advanced automotive technology,” said Ivo Rook, senior VP of IoT and product development for Sprint. “This is much more than self-driving cars, Sprint is bringing together Curiosity IoT, micropositioning and [high definition] mapping, all enabled by our upcoming mobile 5G network, to develop and test the most advanced technologies in the industry. We are honored to work with Peachtree Corners to drive AI, robotics and autonomous,” Rook added.
The new testing facility will allow new intelligent mobility technologies to be tested and evaluated in actual driving conditions. Sprint said that Curiosity IoT with mobile 5G technology will allow for the testing of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and over-the-horizon warnings.
Sprint said that it will be possible to test how connected cars can communicate to make lane changing and highway exiting safer and more efficient, how above-road warning messages might instead be sent to and displayed on car dashboards and how drivers might receive in-car alerts about approaching connected emergency vehicles.
Peachtree Corners’ Prototype Prime, a non-profit incubator focused on early stage software and hardware technology startups, is currently recruiting startups who want to be among the first to deploy 5G.
“Being at the forefront of research and development into smart city and transportation technologies helps the city increase efficiency and will transform how we live, work, learn, and play,” said Brian Johnson, city manager for Peachtree Corners, in a statement/ “Only Sprint has an incredible platform that combines both IoT and 5G which allows us to realize new goals in this digital age.”
Peachtree Corners is home to Technology Park Atlanta, a 500-acre innovation hub which hosts numerous national and international technology companies, two startup technology incubators and a technology accelerator.