In 1913, Ford Motor Co. (IW500/4) implemented the first moving assembly line for automobiles, building its Model T automobile in a little over two and a half hours. Their success was seen as a milestone for creating thousands of assembly-worker jobs, changing the conduction of car manufacturing in the U.S., and extending the use of cars to the middle class.
This week, Ford Motor Company officially set the deadline to make its next contribution to automobile manufacturing. The automaker promised to mass produce fully automated vehicles by 2021. Its design will not include a steering wheel, gas pedals, and any other features that accommodate human drivers, according to Mark Fields, the chief executive of Ford.
To follow through on that goal, Ford is also building up its Silicon Valley R&D team. The company said that it will add two more buildings across the street from its Research and Innovation center and nearly double its staff working on self-driving cars. Engineers, technologists, designers, and other workers will design more efficient sensors, AI frameworks, and systems so that the next generation of cars will be affordable to mass produce.
