By the time the Eisenhower interstate system turns 100 — in 2047 — it will be a lot ‘smarter,’ says Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

“A lot of people believe we will be on automated highways, but although it will be feasible from a technology point of view, I’m not convinced it will be cost-effective,” he says.

Automated highways can space buses and cars closer at higher speeds, so there can be greater density without building new roads. "With new roads costing millions of dollars per mile, we can afford a lot of technology to increase the number of vehicles that can safely use highways," says Dingus. However, a number of technology issues need to be solved — such as how much equipment will be on the car as opposed to being a part of the publicly-funded road.

Transportation center researchers are developing technology for both cars and roads. The center specializes in commercial vehicle operations; advanced vehicle and safety systems; travel, transportation, and emergency management; and public transportation operations.

The center is working with the National Automated Highway System Consortium to investigate and solve human factors issues. For example, says Dingus, "We have to design a system so that drivers can relinquish and take back control of their cars. How does the system know you're ready to take control again?

"In addition, obstacle detection and avoidance is still an issue," Dingus says. "The equipment we have can detect large objects, but a skunk or a brick may be overlooked."

Equipment currently being advertised to keep you from running over a shopping cart or bicycle that is in your blind spot is for close-up, low-speed detection, he explains. "Some high-speed systems require the driver to monitor them. That's the worst situation because people are not good at being vigilant for long periods of time while looking for rare events."

Another issue is system failure. "Aircraft are automated but still have a pilot. Unlike a pilot, drivers don't have any special training with the technology or how to respond. We have to design a system that allows the driver to process information and respond without making the situation worse and without causing an accident."

The center's faculty and graduate students are working on collision warning and avoidance systems with the goal of providing information before a driver could process it, and of assisting in circumstances where the driver would be unable to respond in time. "For example, your car would warn you if you start to change lanes when there is another vehicle in your blind spot, or would brake automatically if a car pulls in front of you."

Such technology is not far in the future, Dingus says.

Also close to implementation are advanced traveler information systems, such as your vehicle telling you if there is a stop sign ahead. "Even if you can't see a sign because of fog or an obstruction, it will be displayed on your dashboard."

On-board systems will also route drivers to their destination, or around congestion or an accident.

"Such systems can work in conjunction with road sensors and communications, such as a sensor on a bridge that tells you there's an icy bridge ahead," Dingus explains.

Smart road technology can also be a part of incident management systems to allow people at a traffic control center to initiate road-side signs and reroute traffic. Traffic control centers are already in place in Virginia's congested Hampton Roads area and around Washington, D.C.

In rural areas, the burden shifts back to smart cars, says Dingus. "For example, if your air bag deploys, it sends a signal to the state police or rescue unit. Before such technology, slow response time resulted in increased numbers of fatalities on rural highways. Mayday systems such as this can get help 30 minutes faster, thereby saving lives."

With funding from Delco Electronics, the center is installing instrumentation in an automobile for automated speech recognition, a programmable dash, and a collision warning system, as well as instrumentation to measure driver performance. Volvo GM will provide a large truck to be instrumented to study driving performance, and for use on a Smart Road testbed.

The 5.7-mile road is an example of including automated highway technology in the cost of building new roads. "Some sections will have instrumentation alongside the road," Dingus says. For example, researchers will be able to make it rain or snow. When the road is finished, it will be part of an actual limited-access bypass and available for public use.

— Written by Susan Trulove