Ford Hosts Self-Driving Vehicle Events At Children's Hospital

WASHINGTON, DC — Ford is hosting a weeklong celebration of autonomous or self-driving vehicles that will include events at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

From Monday through Thursday at the hospital, children will learn how self-driving vehicles operate and how to build skills in mathematics and coding — the foundation of how a self-driving vehicle operates — and use design-thinking to imagine a future self-driving service.

Ford’s Autonomous Vehicle team in D.C. wanted to use National Autonomous Vehicle Day, which falls on May 31, as an opportunity to celebrate the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education and bring some joy to 20 dialysis clinic patients at Children’s National Hospital during their daily treatment.

Ford also has donated nearly 55,000 masks to Children’s National Hospital. Starting in spring 2020, Ford was one of the first manufacturers to pivot toward making personal protective equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ford is building a self-driving service for ride hailing and goods delivery in D.C. The company's technology partner, Argo AI, is developing a self-driving system, or “brains” of the vehicle, and testing it daily in all eight wards of the District.