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A look at Mcity, a test site for self-driving cars (pictures)

Mcity's 4.2 miles of roads feature false buildings, a four-lane road and different intersection types. CNET's Road Trip 2015 takes a look.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
Michigan's Mcity from the air
1 of 8 University of Michigan

Michigan's Mcity from the air

The University of Michigan's Mcity is a 32-acre site with 4.2 miles of roads where researchers can test self-driving cars and technology to let them communicate wirelessly.

Mcity's adaptable cityscape
2 of 8 University of Michigan

Mcity's adaptable cityscape

Mcity has fake buildings that can be moved and changed to suit self-driving car tests.

Mcity roundabout intersection
3 of 8 University of Michigan

Mcity roundabout intersection

Mcity comes with a smaller traffic circle and a larger roundabout, intersection types common in Europe and spreading in the United States, according to the university. This photo shows part of the roundabout. Wolverine Ave. is named after the University of Michigan mascot.

University of Michigan roundabout
4 of 8 University of Michigan

Mcity's University of Michigan roundabout

The University of Michigan's blocky maize-colored "M" logo appears on the large roundabout.

Mcity aerial view
5 of 8 University of Michigan

Mcity in the evening

The University of Michigan's Mcity lets researchers put self-driving cars through a wide variety of challenges such as different types of intersections, traffic signals, lighting conditions and road types.

Mcity intersection
6 of 8 University of Michigan

Mcity intersection

Mcity has different traffic signals, including older models, to test self-driving cars' abilities.

University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
7 of 8 Stephen Shankland/CNET

University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

The University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) runs the Mobility Transformation Center (MTC), a partnership with private-sector companies and the Michigan Department of Transportation. MTC operates the Mcity test site.

Mcity entrance
8 of 8 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Mcity entrance

The 32-acre Mcity site is right next to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's building at the university's north campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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