Fresno State engineering students, First Lady Mary G. Castro and Victor E. Bulldog III went along for a ride in a self-driving, electric shuttle on Tuesday, February. 23rd outside the Engineering East building on campus.
The shuttle is a product of Varden Labs, a startup company in Silicon Valley.
Alex Rodrigues, the CEO of Varden Labs debuted the four-passenger, self-driving shuttle, which is about the size of a golf cart and can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
“It will become safer, cheaper and better for the environment. Working on self-driving shuttles is a way to allow us to be a part of and hopefully catalyze this revolution.” – Alex Rodrigues, CEO Varden Labs.
Rodrigues is a mechatronics engineer and entrepreneur from Ontario, Canada who has nearly 10 years of experience building robotic systems.
“I think that autonomous transportation will be the biggest revolution since the internet,” – Alex Rodrigues, CEO Varden Labs.
Varden Labs will be gathering information for its pilot research project, which focuses on testing the vehicle in real-world scenarios to determine the long-term applications.
“The innovations in engineering are leading to new products and services for better living,” said Dr. Ram Nunna, Dean of the Lyles College, “Autonomous or self-driving vehicles are going to be part of the future of transportation, and we would like our students to become aware of the progress in new technologies and also be part of this growing industry”.
The demonstration is part of a series of events hosted by the Lyles College of Engineering at Fresno State to commemorate National Engineers Week, February 21st to 27th.
Self-driving shuttle rides will be open for students, faculty and staff from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, and from 9 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, outside the Engineering East building.
Lyles College of Engineering: www.fresnostate.edu/engineering
