Lead Presenter:  Austin Averkamp | Principal of Smart Infrastructure | Transurban

Social media handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinaverkamp/

Presentation Description

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) often encounter dynamic situations beyond their sensors’ lines of sight. This limited ‘vision’ interferes with CAVs’ ability to handle some regular on-road interactions, for example, roadway obstacles, first responder movements and work zone activities. When travelling on high-speed motorways, autonomous vehicles must react to challenging situations in real time, even when their sensor and other data points’ line-of-sight is restricted. Delayed decision making at high speeds can be a safety threat to those aboard the sight-restricted vehicle and other motorists.

Intelligent roadways can provide CAVs with near-instantaneous road-condition updates, via a real-time operational design domain tool (RODDIS). The operational design domain defines the environment around the vehicle, including conditions where the vehicle should pass control to its human safety driver. By sharing smart-roadway information from the vehicle’s path ahead, RODDIS enables CAVs to make both proactive and reactive decisions.

A pilot program explored how RODDIS can help CAVs address dynamic precompetitive situations, as identified by original equipment manufacturers. The program leveraged roadside technology on a smart road in operating Level 2 connected vehicles and a Level 4 automated driving system (ADS) vehicle in investigating dynamic situations with safety implications for emergency responders, roadside construction workers and visually and auditory impaired passengers in ride sharing services.

Speaker Biography

Austin is a Principal of Smart Infrastructure for Transurban's Strategic Innovation Group. Over the past decade in innovation, Austin has worked across the spectrum of innovation from incremental to transformational. Similarly, Austin has extensive knowledge in the design, development, construction, and testing of intelligent transportation systems including connected vehicle technologies. Most recently, Austin has focused his attention on the development and execution of new transformational business models to create the next step-change in the US road transportation network. Finally, Austin is registered Professional Engineer. 

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Co-presenter(s)

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