Racing toward automation: Virginia unveils unmanned systems office – StateScoop (registration)

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has announced a new office that will help position the state as a national leader in what is a growing multi-billion industry.

With the influx of automated processes, devices and eventually vehicles making their way into the marketplace, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has given the automation industry more influence over state government through the creation ofa new officecalled the Autonomous Systems Center of Excellence.Rac

In an announcement Thursday,McAuliffe said the centerwillexpandthe automation industry in the state. The governor spoke atXponential, an autonomous technology conference in Dallas, Texas, where the Association for Unmanned Vehicle System International brought together interests from throughout the industry, wherehe shared his vision for how automation will shape the state's future.

The autonomous systems industry is one of the cornerstones of the new Virginia economy, McAuliffe said. ...We will send a clear message that Virginia is open for unmanned systems business. Over the past three years, weve made tremendous progress to support this emerging industry, and well continue our efforts to cut redtape and open the door for further growth.

While the governors release did not specificallymention self-driving vehicles, its probable that the office designed to be a clearinghouse and coordination point for autonomous technology programs could play arole in assisting the auto industry and regulators in bringing autonomous vehicles to consumers. The state also noted the center's role as an "ombudsman"charged with representing the public's interests as the technology evolves.

State officials made theirintentions clear to aggressively pursue national leadership on self-driving vehicles.Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne has saidsaying that the state has deliberately avoided preemptive regulation and is passinglegislation to foregoany bureaucratic limitations that would hinder innovation in the space.

McAuliffe isnt alone in his ambitions. Governors throughout the U.S. have gone out of their way to court the self-drivingvehicle industry. Despite the state's tangle of regulations, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed specific legislation to clear the way for self-driving vehicle testing. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has signed similar legislation, while states like Michigan havegiven the green light to pursue testing on all public roads in an attempt toadvance research more quickly.

McAuliffe'soffice reports that Virginia has already seen growth in the automation industry througha 2013partnershipwith the Federal Aviation Administration to create a test site for unmanned aerial drones. The states participation and investment in the sector is a bid to take advantage on what it estimates will grow toan $82 billion industry by 2025.

Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson said the center will be operated through Virginias Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), and made possiblefollowing recommendations from the Commonwealths Unmanned Systems Commission.

Virginia has already established itself as a leader in the autonomous systems industry, Jackson said in a press release. I am pleased that CIT will be taking on this role. In order for the commonwealth to continue to grow in this arena, it is essential that we create an epicenter that drives collaboration, facilitates information sharing, and provides streamlined access to all of our world-class assets.

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Racing toward automation: Virginia unveils unmanned systems office - StateScoop (registration)