This is the kind of innovation we need to continue the
Manufacturing Renaissance that is underway in the U.S.
A world where cars talk with other cars and traffic signals
is literally right around the corner. The U.S. Department of Transportation
(USDOT), in collaboration with the University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute (UMTRI), Aug. 22, 2012, kicked off a year-long Safety Pilot
Model Deployment test vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X)
technology in Ann Arbor, Mich.
That is part of a 30-month program will establish a real
world, multimodal test site in Ann Arbor for enabling wireless communications
among vehicles and roadside equipment for use in generating data to enable
safety applications. Passenger cars, commercial trucks, and transit buses will
be included that are equipped with a mix of integrated, retrofit, and
aftermarket V2V and V2I-based safety systems, a technology that could prevent
thousands of crashes.
“This is a tremendous
opportunity, and we are very excited to be able to support the USDOT’s
demonstration of cutting-edge transportation technologies in our community.”
said Program Manager Jim Sayer, an associate research scientist at UMTRI.
The data generated
and archived as part of the model deployment will be used for estimating safety
benefits in support of future decisions by the USDOT, as well as for use by the
broader transportation industry in developing additional safety, mobility, and
environmental applications utilizing wireless technologies. The testing phase
will last twelve (12) months, and include approximately 2,850 vehicles.
“We feel honored to
be hosting the national test environment for vehicles that don’t crash” said
Peter Sweatman, UMTRI director, adding “we look forward to helping many private
and public sector organizations advance connected vehicle technologies which
save lives and promote efficient movement of cars, trucks and transit buses”.
Partners in
supporting UMTRI on the program include the Michigan Department of
Transportation, the City of Ann Arbor, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Mixon Hill, HNTB,
SAIC, Texas Transportation Institute, AAA of Michigan, and ESCRYPT. Additional
support is being provided by the Office of the Vice President of Research at
the University of Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
DENSO International America, Inc. (DIAM), with facilities in
Southfield and Battle Creek, Mich. is one of the suppliers providing the
"talking car" technology.
DIAM is providing two types of dedicated short-range
communications (DSRC) devices, which are the devices that allow vehicles to
communicate or "talk" with other equipped vehicles and
infrastructure. DENSO's two DSRC devices being tested are 1) An integrated original
equipment device used on light vehicles, and 2) An aftermarket retrofit device
equipped on light vehicles, heavy trucks and buses.
DENSO has been working on Connected Vehicle, or what company
researchers call V2X technology since 2003, and one of the main focuses is on
DSRC devices. The DSRC's primary function is to assess the surrounding
environment based on accurate and precise data exchanges with other vehicle
DSRC transceivers and roadside hotspots. The data exchanges include a vehicle's
location, velocity, acceleration and path history, which can enable on board
computers to predict trajectories and reduce the likelihood of collisions. That
same data, along with additional information from the traffic signal, can also
help drivers avoid running red lights and prevent crashes at controlled
intersections (roadside hotspots).
According to the USDOT, nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses
equipped with "connected" Wi-Fi technology will enable vehicles and
infrastructure to "talk" to each other in real time to help avoid
crashes and improve traffic flow. This is the USDOT's second phase of the
Connected Vehicle Safety pilot and, to date, is the largest road test of
connected vehicle crash avoidance technology.
DENSO believes V2X has the potential to revolutionize safety
and convenience on our nation's roads. A company press release said the
Japan-based company anticipates deployment of Connected Vehicle technology in
the U.S. in the next few years.
Of course the creation of new products and technology is
only part of the innovative process. The other and perhaps most important is
the innovation of changing consumer purchasing habits. That is more than
possible. Remember, Baby Boomers bought FM converters for their cars because
they were convinced that AM radio just wasn’t enough.
The Today Show did a segment on this story on NBC:
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