DETROIT >> Brooke Snow’s face was bright with happiness and excitement when she saw a new autonomous vehicle parked outside the school she attends in Detroit.

The art decorating the vehicle depicted a small group of people standing together, representing different abilities, cultures and races.

“I wanted to portray people from different backgrounds — like everybody,” said Brooke, 16, who designed the artwork. “It’s never just one type of person. There’s always somebody else that doesn’t fit in the box.”

The self-driving electric vehicle, which runs at a top speed of 25 mph, is being used to deliver 10,000 pounds of fresh food to mobility-challenged seniors who live at Rio Vista Detroit Co-Op Apartments in southwestern Detroit. For the next several months, the vehicle will deliver about 10 totes worth of food twice a month to assist about 20 residents.

The pilot food-delivery program is a joint effort of two divisions of the Ford Motor Co. The autonomous vehicle is operated by the Ford future-tech autonomous-vehicle team.

Residents at Rio Vista were already taking part in the Ford Resource and Engagement Center On the Go program, launched in early 2021. Through that partnership, 2.4 million pounds of food has been delivered. But now seniors’ access to food will double with the use of the free shuttle.

“We’re constantly thinking about how to expand our reach in communities for those who don’t have access to the most basic goods, like groceries or warm meals,” said Joe Provenzano of Ford Motor Co. Fund, in a news release. “Bringing Ford’s mobility expertise together with local collaborations allows us to create innovative solutions that make communities stronger and people’s lives better.”

“I feel like it’s been a long journey,” said Brooke, a senior at the Detroit School of Arts. “It was hard to imagine seeing it on the (vehicle). But seeing it, it’s like, oh my gosh, I did this.”

Ford reached out to the school to offer the design opportunity to students. Brooke’s artwork was chosen from among the sketches students submitted.

“I can’t express just how amazed we were when we got the submissions for artwork,” said Robert Moser, global head of Experience, Design and Product at Ford. “The quality was so far beyond anything we could have expected, and Brooke’s (artwork) is an example of that quality. We left a lot of the details up to the students — (and were) really impressed with how spot-on Brooke’s work was in reflecting this point in time and all the pain that we feel in society and what’s going on around the world.

“It’s also extremely effective at communicating our mission … to bring more mobility and transportation equity to underserved populations.”

Detroit School of Arts Principal Lisa Reynolds said Brooke is an “exemplary artist” and is creative in several platforms. She even made the sweater she wore to the reveal of the vehicle. In a speech that day, Reynolds pointed out that for her students, sometimes “the only thing in the way is the lack of opportunity.”

“She is a creative force, a brilliant young African American woman that you need to know, because she’s going to make waves in the world,” Reynolds said of Brooke. “She deserves all the recognition and adulation. And she is confident and humble enough to receive it and go to the next level.”

Brooke was awarded $5,000 for her artwork, which she plans to use to pay for college. She has goals of attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, and she’s exploring different areas of study in design and fashion.

Residents and visitors will be able to see Brooke’s artwork as the food shuttle drives from the southwestern Detroit Ford Resource and Engagement Center to Rio Vista. The canned foods, fresh produce and dairy products will be unloaded upon arrival, and a safety driver will be present in the vehicle at all times.

Sensor nodes have been installed along the vehicle’s route, and Ford is working with Quantum Signal AI, a Ford subsidiary, to conduct remote operations research. This effort is in addition to Ford’s work with technology partner Argo AI, which is spearheading the self-driving system, and the company is committed to creating self-driving efforts in cities like Austin, Texas; Miami; and Washington, D.C.

Part of the focus of the Detroit-based food shuttle program is to conduct research on mobility solutions in and around Michigan Central Station, the historic former intercity passenger rail station.

“Industrywide, you’re going to see a lot of these kinds of vehicles and solutions hitting the streets,” Moser said. “We’re extremely excited about this endeavor. There’s a tremendous amount that we’re going to learn from this. It’s going to help us figure out the best ways to do more and more good for the community and bring these kinds of solutions to market.”