Ford opens innovation lab

The Detroit News reports.

The lab will focus on the future of mobility and the advancement of automotive technology, including semi-autonomous vehicle technology and in-car data systems.

"We have been innovating for more than a century at Ford, but we acknowledge we don't have a monopoly on creativity," said chairman Bill Ford Jr.

According to CIO Journal, Ford collects and aggregates data from the four million vehicles that use in-car sensing and remote app management software to create a virtuous cycle of information.

The data allows Ford engineers to glean information on a range of issues, from how drivers are using their vehicles, to the driving environment, to electromagnetic forces affecting the vehicle, and feedback on other road conditions that could help them improve the quality, safety, fuel economy and emissions of the vehicle, according to Paul Mascarenas, CTO of Ford Research and Innovation.

While Ford is strongly associated with the industrial heartland of America, the company has global reach with research and innovation facilities in Dearborn, Michigan; Aachen, Germany; Nanjing, China; and technology scouts in Tel Aviv, Israel, Market Watch says.

"We want Silicon Valley to view Ford as a platform that is open, accessible and ready for their innovative ideas and technologies," Mascarenas added.