Tokyo – September 24, 2026 -- TIER IV, the developer behind the open-source Autoware autonomous driving platform, will co-host a hands-on AI and autonomous driving education event for junior and senior high school students on September 26 at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo.
Three corporate partners jointly built the training tools deployed at the event
TIER IV is running the session in collaboration with Tamiya, Macnica and zero to one, a Kawaijuku Group company. Students will train an AI robot jointly developed by Tamiya and Macnica, testing how the system recognizes surroundings and makes decisions from sensor input.
Participants will operate Autoware-based virtual vehicles on cloud GPU infrastructure
Using the online course "Building Autonomous Driving Systems," co-developed by TIER IV and zero to one, students will run Autoware-powered simulations on PCs connected to a cloud-based GPU environment, controlling virtual vehicles through perception, path-planning and control tasks. TIER IV and Tamiya will also stage a live demonstration of an AI-powered radio-controlled car built jointly by the two companies to show autonomous navigation up close.
TIER IV runs the Open-Source Autonomous Driving Project inside Miraikan's research area
The event is organized under TIER IV's ongoing presence at Miraikan, where the company conducts on-site research and development of Autoware while operating a collaboration space for corporate and public-sector partners. TIER IV frames the initiative as part of broader public outreach to link developers, users and local communities around its global open-source ecosystem, arguing that deployment of autonomous driving technology depends on societal engagement as much as engineering progress.
Sessions are designed to surface questions on AI accountability among student participants
Alongside researchers and Miraikan's science communicators, students will examine how AI systems should be trained, what data autonomous systems use to make decisions, and how much operational responsibility society should hand to autonomous vehicles. TIER IV said it will continue offering AI and autonomous driving learning programs with Tamiya, Macnica and zero to one going forward, positioning the effort as a pipeline for future talent beyond software engineering roles.