Researchers at 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s College of Engineering & Applied Science are partners on a $15 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to explore the benefits and responsible use of autonomous vehicles in rural communities where transportation services are limited.<\/p>\n
The six-year project will develop solutions to improve mobility, such as enabling nondrivers to better access health care, groceries and other amenities, and helping people without vehicles commute to work. UW-Madison leads the project. 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s share of the grant is $1.4 million.<\/p>\n
Only 19% of the U.S. population and a quarter of all Americans aged 65 and older reside in rural communities. Yet, 47% of all roadway fatalities occur on rural roads. Despite this, few studies exist on howautonomous vehicles (AVs) could be used to better serve rural America, said Tom Shi, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who is 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s lead researcher on the grant.<\/p>\n
The initiative is divided into three phases, each lasting two years. The first focuses on identifying unique rural transportation needs, developing AV technology for rural environments and testing these technologies in rural areas. The second involves demonstrating and piloting solutions identified during the first phase. The final phase aims to deploy these solutions with private-sector partners.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to enabling AVs for passenger transport, we\u2019re also working on critical technologies like high-precision mapping, communication between physical and digital infrastructure, and evaluating the policy impacts of AV adoption,\u201d Shi said.<\/p>\n
Adapting AVs to rural settings poses unique challenges, he added. AVs and the digital data they are linked to must recognize and understand features that are uncommon in urban areas, such as different types of pavement markings, farm equipment or gravel roads, Shi said.<\/p>\n
While digital tools like ramp metering and sensor-equipped vehicles exist, rural areas lag in connected transportation infrastructure.<\/p>\n
So, while the grant is centered on rural areas, the technology developed could also benefit urban areas, said Xiao Qin, professor of civil and environmental engineering at 51ÁÔÆæ. Qin, also director of the college\u2019s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transit (IPIT); Andy Graettinger, the college\u2019s associate dean for research; and Yang Li, IPIT research associate, are members of the 51ÁÔÆæ team.<\/p>\n
In addition to local collaborators from the public sector, including administrators in Walworth and Jefferson counties in Southeast Wisconsin, Qin is actively courting private companies in Wisconsin who are interested in AV technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cTech transfer is what we\u2019re aiming at,\u201d said Qin. \u201cThat is one reason we\u2019re calling for partners from the urban communities to join us and explore the opportunities to leverage the technology we are developing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research is part of the newly established Tribal and Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Efficiency, Livability, and Safety (TRAVELS) Center, led by UW-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering Xiaopeng \u201cShaw\u201d Li.<\/p>\n
51ÁÔÆæ is a center partner along with Oklahoma State University and the University of Georgia. The institutions will work with 34 state-level partners \u2014 including tribal nations, local governments and nonprofits \u2014 who will contribute to the project.<\/p>\n
Additional collaborators include the University of Washington, Northern Oklahoma College and Morgan State University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The six-year project will develop solutions to improve mobility, such as enabling nondrivers to better access health care, groceries and other amenities, and helping people without vehicles commute to work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":142104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[141,139],"display_categories":[352,116],"related-coverage":[338],"uwmnews-feed":[149],"class_list":["post-142103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-engineering","section-science-technology","display_categories-top-story-tertiary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-research","uwmnews-feed-engineering-applied-science"],"yoast_head":"\n