High tech on display from auto suppliers at NAIAS
If cars were the stars on the first day of the auto show, Tuesday was all about the tech.
Suppliers got to showcase what they have to offer and one local supplier Denso was looking to cash in on that opportunity with virtual reality simulator.
In this business the trick is to lure in the young talent. One way to do that is with the promise of virtual reality.
Once you have them there, explain there are real life applications to be found even in a virtual world. FOX 2's Dave Spencer put on the goggles for his own VR experience.
"You've seen a car that stopped very quickly at a stop area for an emergency vehicle to go by," said Bill Foy, Denso head of engineering.
This is the work being done at the Southfield-based company Denso. They are a Tuer-1 auto supplier who recently invested $1.2 billion in North America creating 4,500 jobs.
The most exciting of those opportunities may be happening to 12 interns on the campus of the University of Michigan.
"They will work on two specific projects, one is the connectivity," said Doug Patton, Denso executive VP. "And how that relates to autonomous driving."
And that's what an auto show visitor can experience first-hand - figuring out how one driverless car can communicate with the world around it.
"It is either vehicle to vehicle or vehicle to infrastructure," Foy said. "It is a future communications system right now that the government is looking to mandate."
It is technology that this company has been working on for the past 10 years
"You can tell the speed, trajectory and the direction that you're going," Foy said.
Computer program: "When your vehicle is able to see other vehicles that you do. It can help avoid accidents that you don't even see coming."
But they know to continue that work, they need to attract the latest, greatest and youngest talent to take it to the next level.
"We're looking for these types of opportunities for students," Patton said.
Denso is actually hiring at the auto show. They will interview you and hire you on the spot if you meet their qualifications.
The North American International Auto Show opens Jan. 14 to the public.