Japanese automotive maker Toyota Motor has entered into a partnership with the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in a bid to launch self-driving cars on the roads of Ann Arbor for real-world testing.

The project will be undertaken with an aim to study fully autonomous driving, connected cars and modern mobility.

The Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE) provides a real-world platform for testing connected vehicle safety technologies that can be used by drivers in Ann Arbor and around Southeast Michigan.

"Toyota is again demonstrating their commitment to the community by their investment in the recently announced TRI, and by encouraging employees to participate in cutting edge research."

Ann Arbor has the largest dedicated short range communication test bed worldwide.

AACVTE aims to transform autonomous driving into reality by providing more cars, drivers and miles to travel daily for conducting the trials.

Under the deal, the motor company will invite families of team members to participate in the AACVTE tests, equipping their cars with vehicle awareness devices that would help implement vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems in the area.

The partnership aims to deploy 5,000 vehicles with these vehicle awareness devices across Ann Arbor.

UMTRI director James R. Sayer said: "Ann Arbor is an international hub for connected vehicle technology and research, and it has everything to do with the community.

"Toyota is again demonstrating their commitment to the community by their investment in the recently announced TRI, and by encouraging employees to participate in cutting edge research."

The device, which appears as a small box, will be installed out of sight in the cars’ trunk or rear area.

The box will feature two small antennas, one fixed on or near the rear windshield while the other deployed either on the vehicle’s trunk lid or on its roof.

The vehicle awareness devices will help communicate speed and position data from a vehicle to other equipped vehicles, along with its surrounding region where data can be recognised by research equipment located along the roadside and at intersections.