Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Autonomous and connected vehicle technology, called herein automated vehicles (AV), will reduce human errors and are expected to lead to significant benefits in safety, mobility, and sustainability. The technology is emerging around the world on both passenger and freight sides. Automated vehicles have already started to appear on the roads across the globe. The AV market is valued at $54 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow to $556 billion by 2026 (10-time growth). Clearly, as the market expands, transportation professionals and researchers must address an array of challenges before AV becomes a reality in the near future. Currently, researchers, scientists, and engineers are investing significant effort and resources to develop supporting technologies. AV make decisions in very unpredictable environments, which means that the level of testing must be very high. The requested equipment will allow real-time simulation and testing of AV technologies to ensure their safety without field testing. *** The equipment will support the simulation and testing of the methodologies to be developed in my NSERC Discovery Grant application, whose long-term goal is to develop innovative methods to achieve safe, mobile, and sustainable transportation systems for AV. The title of the NSERC application is “Advancing Road Safety, Mobility, and Geometric Design for Automated Vehicles.” Otherwise, the simulation and testing will be conducted using Matlab Simulink which is not real-time and is time-consuming. The most reliable contemporary research in the area of ITS requires a rapid control prototype that allows the highest accuracy for both stationary and real-world tests of control algorithms and models. The requested equipment will help achieve this requirement.*** The equipment, called Speedgoat Mobile Real-Time Target Machine with Simulink, can be used in many applications across many industries, including labs, fields, classrooms. Sample applications of the equipment include: (1) autonomous passenger cars, trucks, and buses, (2) intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and vehicle dynamics control, (3) advanced driver assistance systems, (4) data fusion for combined data sources, (5) development of hybrid and fully electrical powertrain systems, and (6) data logging, online tuning, and monitoring. The equipment and Matlab Simulink are seamlessly integrated and can rapidly run and test custom Simulink software designs with custom hardware. Custom real-time applications from Simulink can be automatically built and download to the target machine. The equipment allows monitoring and logging of signal parameters from within Simulink during real-time execution.*** This equipment will support three NSERC projects (involving nine tasks) related to intersections, two-lane highways, and special facilities. It will provide a valuable training experience for HQP in modelling cutting-edge technologies that are required for hiring in the engineering sector. **