The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will be well represented at this year’s Automated Vehicles Symposium to be held July 15–18, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).
Monday, July 15
Greg Winfree, TTI agency director, will introduce the session, Preparing for Automated Vehicles and Shared Mobility: The Existential Questions, that will address long-term questions about automation and shared mobility. Winfree will also moderate an audience and panel discussion. Johanna Zmud, TTI senior research scientist, and Ipek Sener, TTI associate research scientist, are organizers of a session titled Not So Autonomous Cars: A Path to Consumers’ Changing World. The session will unpack consumer interest in driverless vehicles by examining consumer acceptance and understanding of lower levels of automation (e.g., intelligent cruise control). Zmud will moderate panel presentations on the topic of “Public Acceptance and Trust.” Sener will close out the session with key takeaways.
Tuesday, July 16
Johanna Zmud will give a presentation titled What the Public Really Thinks About Automated Vehicles: Evidence from Survey Research. Drawing from recent quantitative surveys, Zmud will deliver insight on the (sometimes) inconsistent findings and what that means for the future of automated vehicles (AVs). TTI Senior Research Scientist Sue Chrysler is an organizer for the session, Reading the Road Ahead: Preparing Highway Infrastructure for ADAS and AVs. Panelists include Adam Pike, TTI associate research engineer, and Siva Rathinam, associate professor in Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Wednesday, July 17
Nick Wood, TTI assistant research engineer, is an organizer of the session, Regulatory Policy for Automated Vehicles. The session will facilitate a discussion of previous AV regulation, current challenges of legislation, and future policy. Wood is also an organizer for the session titled Gamechanger! Using Dedicated Lanes for Early AV Deployment. This session encourages using real-world testing and guidance for AV implementation using managed lanes. TTI Senior Research Engineer Christopher Poe has organized a session titled Data for AV Integration, where Bob Brydia, TTI senior research scientist and manager of TTI’s Advanced Transportation Operations Program, will be a speaker. The session will offer lessons learned on data exchanges, digital maps, and new critical use cases.
Also on Wednesday, Katie Turnbull, TTI executive associate agency director, and Bob Brydia are organizers on a session titled Catching Up with Low-Speed Autonomous Shuttles. The session will enable participants to share their experiences with low-speed autonomous shuttles and engage them in discussions of best practices for future deployments. Turnbull will serve as moderator for the panelists, which include Johanna Zmud; Bob Brydia; and Sri Saripalli, associate professor of engineering in Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Visit the symposium website for more information and a full program.