Coursera, Toronto University launch course on self-driving cars

In an effort to create safe autonomous vehicles, US-based online education company Coursera on Wednesday joined hands with Canada's University of Toronto to launch an online specialisation course on self-driving cars.

The four-part course, costing $79 per month, is designed for learners who already have some engineering experience, but little to no formal training in self-driving technologies, the company said in a statement.

The course will provide learners with state-of-the-art knowledge and engineering to make safe autonomous vehicles a reality.

"Self-driving cars have the potential to increase road safety, lead to more efficient use of roadways and vehicles, and even reduce pollution," said Jonathan Kelly, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, in a statement.

Experts predict that the market for self-driving cars will reach $42 billion by 2025 and that the demand for skilled workers within the autonomous vehicle industry will continue to climb, creating more than 100,000 US mobility industry jobs in the next decade.

"Self-driving cars will reshape our cities and our lives, in the process creating tens of thousands of new jobs for those who have the right skills," said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera.

The course will provide a detailed understanding of the architecture and components of a self-driving car software stack, methods for static and dynamic object detection including processing real-time data from sensors, estimating a car's location and issuing commands for vehicle control.

--IANS

rt/na/bg