Highway US-33 – Honda and Cassandras Team Up
Self-driving smart cars used to be something that was seen in the movies; an idea that was too far away to even consider a possible reality. Yet, today we are closer to realizing this dream than ever. Most smart cars on the market come equipped with detectors to alert the driver another vehicle is in your blind spot. Some even have steering wheels that vibrate when the car drifts out of the lane. These types of smart cars are level three, since the driver still needs to be alert with hands on the wheel. Eventually smart cars will reach level five; complete self-driving cars. Now, with the help of CISE Affiliate Faculty Professor Christos Cassandras (SE, ECE) and Honda, level five self-driving smart cars, may become a reality.
To bring this futuristic dream to life, Honda has teamed up with Cassandras to begin testing his algorithms in a smart car. These tests will be performed on the highway called US-33 Smart Corridor in Ohio within the next two years. Currently, the algorithms are being tested through simulations. In an article about Cassandras, An Internet of Cars- Cassandras Nets Grant to Develop Smart Car Technology, Sara Cody describes how Cassandras plans to apply the developing algorithms to cars at busy intersections, resulting in the removal of traffic lights and stop signs altogether. This is part of Cassandras’ series of projects on self-driving cars, including his new collaboration with Honda. Honda and Cassandras will be first testing these algorithms on the highway before bringing the idea to busy intersections, similar to the simulation displayed in Cody’s article. We look forward to these advancements in the automotive industry, ushering in the next level of smart cars.
In an effort to produce safer and more energy-efficient vehicles, Cassandras is developing a series of algorithms that will help cars communicate with other vehicles around them. The transmitted information, such as vehicle speed, acceleration, and location, will allow cars to adjust the speed and direction in the lane, even in a dense traffic. If a car is in the middle lane on the highway and wants to change lanes to the left, the signal is sent to the two cars in the left lane, which will cooperate to open up a gap for the lane-changing car to shift into. This will permit the smart car to move over safely without having to break, all while no hands are at the wheel, ultimately, allowing for a smoother, more comfortable and safer commute.