Wifi connected car concept (via USDOT)
Our cars don't have to fly, but they should at least drive themselves. It's been a science fiction staple, time to become reality. The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute has launched their year-long test of their ‘Safety Pilot Model Deployment’ as part of the US Department of Transportation’s Safety Pilot Programmed aimed at reducing the number of traffic-related accidents.
UM’s system uses 3 components that will allow researchers to analyze specific data associated with vehicles, people, and road conditions during accidents; as well as give drivers real-time traffic data that included warnings and safety message associated with a certain area. The first component in UM’s system uses is known as a Vehicle Awareness Device (VAD) based off a Savari V2X technology. The device is a 802.11p Wi-Fi Dedicated Short-Range Communicator (DSRC) that’s mounted to the vehicle (in UM’s case underneath the vehicle's seat) and communicates data (speed and location) to other vehicles as well as ground-based stations through a GPS antenna. The second component is known as an Aftermarket Safety Device (ASD) that’s almost identical to the VAD device (receives data from other vehicles) but is equipped with a small speaker and issues audio-based warnings if threat conditions exist (crash warnings, etc.). The third component is a combination system that includes an ASD but also uses a Data Acquisition System (DAS) and collects information such as speed, direction and location of the vehicle as well as performance data and video to analyze how drivers interact with the ASD.
Using the SPMD system will give researchers detailed information on driver data but also information regarding how feasible the smart-car technology could be implemented. The University of Michigan is outfitting 3,000 cars that travel through a designated section of Ann Arbor, Michigan for a year-long study with the results being used by the USDOT for developing different approaches to vehicle safety.
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