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The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) announced two research projects this week.
On Monday, TTI landed its second public-private research partnership at the new RELLIS campus. California based Neology will work with A&M faculty, researchers, and students to design, develop, and test new technology solutions. TTI says Neology is a leading provider of tolling, electronic vehicle registration, and public safety technologies. The five year agreement with a five year renewal follows TTI’s multi-year deal that was announced in May with 3-M Corporation to test roadway signs, signals, and lane markings under wet pavement conditions.
On Tuesday, TTI announced being selected as leading a research team on a recently announced $7 million dollar contract to improve the safety of autonomous vehicles. The five year project from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also means TTI and four other research teams will compete among themselves for the next five years for approximately $35 million in planned research expenditures.
TTI news release about its agreement with Neology:
Neology, a leading provider of tolling, electronic vehicle registration and public safety technologies, is partnering with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to establish a state-of-the-art R&D test facility at The Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus.
Goal of the long-term master research agreement is to expand and improve transportation technologies. The new RELLIS campus, a $300 million, 2,000-acre facility with six miles of high-speed proving grounds, offers an ideal location for Neology to design, develop and test new technology solutions.
“We also look forward to collaborating with the nation’s top faculty, researchers, students and other transportation partners of TTI. Our long-term relationship and investment with TTI will provide agencies and industry experts insight into the most advanced transportation solutions to meet tomorrow’s transportation-related challenges,” said Joe Mullis, General Manager of Neology.
“We are exciting to have Neology as a flagship partner at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus. This industry-research partnership is exactly the type of relationship that highlights the value to both Neology and Texas A&M of having industry partners working closely with faculty, researchers, and students at the leading-edge of transportation technology,” said Christopher Poe, Assistant Director for Connected and Automated Transportation Strategy at TTI.
TTI news release about its agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has selected the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to lead a team of accomplished researchers on a recently announced, $7-million contract designed to improve the safety of autonomous vehicles.
The five-year NHTSA Crash Avoidance Human Factors Research project is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. It means TTI and four other research teams selected by NHTSA will compete only amongst themselves for approximately $35 million in planned research expenditures through 2023.
“To be selected for this IDIQ, we very carefully and purposefully put together a team of renowned researchers and scientists from across the country who have a unique balance of expertise, research capabilities, and facilities,” explains Senior Research Scientist Michael Manser, TTI’s Human Factors Program Manager. “The various projects have not yet been determined, but they will generally involve human interaction with advanced vehicle safety systems including autonomous vehicles.”
Joining TTI’s team are researchers from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the University of Houston, and Touchstone Evaluations, an independent product evaluation and research laboratory located in Detroit, Michigan.
“These NHTSA projects will certainly help us have a better understanding of the challenges we face as we see increased levels of vehicle automation,” says John Sullivan, head of UMTRI’s Human Factors Group. “Through this research funding, NHTSA is also interested in determining just what benefits automation will bring, especially as it concerns safety.”
Research topics will likely include driver reaction and interaction with their autonomous vehicles and how that impacts safety, according to Ioannis Pavlidis, founder of the Computational Physiology Lab at the University of Houston. “As automation becomes reality on a piecemeal basis, we will become ‘vehicle handlers,’ as we will only be driving part of the time. Being a part-time driver brings with it its own set of potential problems,” Pavlidis says. “For example, how do we make sure the driver is ready when he or she is brought back into the loop?”
Working directly with automobile manufacturers and suppliers, Touchstone Evaluations has extensive experience testing the most advanced vehicle technologies, helping clients determine if a product or system is effective and safe.
“As part of the TTI team, our work on this project will likely involve how drivers manage their attention when these advanced technologies are operating,” says Linda Angell, president and principal scientist with Touchstone Evaluations. “As we all know, distraction has been a real concern for safety. And, with more automation in the vehicle, one of the key questions is: how do we ensure that driver attention is properly supported and safeguarded?”
It is anticipated that initial projects may be awarded before September 1, 2018, with future projects funded throughout the duration of the five-year contract.