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UI researchers’ highly-automated van has ‘amazing potential’ for rural areas
The vehicle has driven volunteer passengers on a 47-mile loop through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside and Kalona 80 times
CORALVILLE — The white Ford Transit could be a campus shuttle or a rural transit service van. Only those aboard the vehicle knew it was driving itself around the University of Iowa’s Oakdale research campus.
“It definitely errs on the side of caution,” Steve Cable said from the front passenger seat as the van eased through a traffic circle, slowing as its sensors confirmed the way was clear.
After negotiating the rotary — a bit slowly, but more smoothly than some human drivers — the van rolled up to a stop sign. Cheryl Roe, riding in the front passenger seat, briefly tapped the brakes as another vehicle, possibly pushing the 35 mph limit, approached on the cross street. It was the only time she needed to intervene on the two-mile demonstration loop.
“(The van) probably would’ve stopped once that vehicle came in range, but we don’t take any chances,” Cable explained.
“We’ve learned something every time we went out,” Roe said after the ride.
Roe, a human-factors research associate at the UI’s Driving Safety Research Institute (DRSI, formerly the National Advanced Driving Simulator), is the van’s regular “safety driver,” ready to intervene when needed.
Cable is the IT and data lead on the three-year project that designed and built the van to research the performance of highly-automated vehicles on rural roads.
“If automated vehicles are going to improve safety, we want to improve it on all roads,” said Omar Ahmad, DRSI’s deputy director who oversaw the study.
The project was funded through a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Iowa Department of Transportation contributed $400,000.
Ahmad noted nearly half of fatal traffic accidents happen in rural areas, where only 19 percent of the nation’s population lives. Most automated-driving research and testing happens in California and the Southwest, on well-marked, paved roads in mild weather.
“We need to do more testing on rural roads to address the unique challenges that we as Iowa drivers know well, such as sharp curves, gravel, and farm equipment on the roads,” said DRSI Director Dan McGehee. "There is a big difference between driving in Iowa than in Silicon Valley or states where there are 12 months of sun.”
The van senses the world around it through a suite of scanning lasers, video cameras, computer vision systems, and radar. Hexagon Autonomous Stuff of Morton, Ill., installed the automated driving technology and Mandli Communications of Madison, Wisc., created a high-definition route map the van uses to place itself on the road within about four inches.
The van has driven a 47-mile loop through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside and Kalona 80 times over the past two years, collecting volunteer riders at four stops en route. The riders wore wristbands to measure their heart rates and other stress indicators.
Ahmad said the van safely negotiates “99 percent” of the route, with Roe taking over when needed.
“We were pleasantly surprised at how much of that 47 miles that we could cover automated,” Ahmad said.
Operating day and night through the seasons, researchers identified some issues:
- The van doesn’t alter its driving for poor weather, when ice and snow buildup can blind its sensors.
- On narrow gravel roads with loose shoulders, the AV tries to find a “right” lane instead of driving down the center as a human would.
- The system sometimes can’t classify potential hazards and may slow for nonthreatening objects such as dust clouds.
- The sensors may not “see” far enough to enter a highway where traffic moves at 55 mph or faster.
“This technology has amazing potential,” Ahmad said. “We have a lot to look forward to, but it still requires oversight. Based on what we know, we are the first to have gone this far.”
McGehee noted the study’s data is publicly available and shared with other researchers, unlike manufacturer-driven research.
“This is a very functional project,” he said.
On the Oakdale demonstration run Tuesday, the van also negotiated a railroad crossing, a pedestrian crosswalk, and a signaled intersection.
“That imaging camera is trying to look at the light and which light is lit,” Cable said as the van paused at a busy intersection on Coral Ridge Avenue. “It’s meant to be a very conservative driver.”
Riding along ready to take over was a bit stressful at first, Roe said, “but it became more natural” as she gained experience. She said the high-profile van coped well with windy days.
“The vehicle was very good at staying in the lane,” she said.
Given further development, automated vehicles could offer improved mobility for older Iowans living in rural areas.
“Something like this represents an amazing resource,” said Ahmad.
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