The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) will look to demonstrate the safety benefits of vehicle-to-everything (V2X)-enabled detection systems in a US$20m (£15.4m) three-year project.
The project will feature smart mobility technology firm Iteris alongside public and private partners including Continental, Ford, Toyota, Qualcomm, the City of Ann Arbor and Purdue University.
Iteris will deploy its Vantage Fusion technology, which was jointly developed with Continental, at more than 20 intersections to enable connected vehicles to communicate their location and the information they sense with the rest of the connected environment.
“One of the most promising aspects of this project is that we will be able to pave the way for a national connected and automated vehicle deployment,” said Henry Liu, research professor at UMTRI, and director at the Centre for Connected and Automated Transportation.
“With innovative smart mobility infrastructure management technology partners like Iteris, we will definitively demonstrate not only the technology but a clear path to funding the infrastructure – both aspects needed for a national deployment. Furthermore, the Smart Intersections Project will provide significant day one benefits to early adopters, including saving pedestrian lives.”
Iteris and Continental will be deploying their Vantage Fusion hybrid video and radar traffic detection technology at the signalised intersections. Vantage Fusion enables real-world V2X applications and advanced intersection visualisation for safer, smarter and more sustainable roadways. A pilot has already been deployed at the University of Michigan’s Mcity as the first step in this process.
Furthermore, Vantage Fusion uses information generated by infrastructure sensors to enable cooperative perception capabilities. In addition to sharing a connected vehicle’s location with other V2X-enabled devices, cooperative perception messaging could enable that vehicle to also share what it senses – a pedestrian or car, for example – with the rest of its connected environment.
“We are thrilled to play a continued role in the University of Michigan’s connected vehicle testing program, which will be critical in demonstrating the significant safety benefits of V2X-enabled detection systems,” said Todd Kreter, senior vice president and general manager, Advanced Sensor Technologies at Iteris.
“With the deployment of our Vantage Fusion detection technology, the first solution from our partnership with Continental, we are proud to pave the way for national adoption of connected and automated vehicle technologies, and make mobility safe, efficient and sustainable for all road users.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) programme will provide half of the funding for this project, with the remainder provided by the participants.
