1. Driverless Car Summit 2012
Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
Richard Bishop, Automotive Lead

2. AUVSI
Non-profit industry association focusing on air/land/water unmanned operations
40 years
500+ corporate members
expanding into civilian vehicle autonomy
Driverless Cars 2022 Initiative: stretch goal
what does it take to get there?
DCS 2012 first meeting of its kind

3. Driverless Car Summit Detroit, June 12-13, 2012 Agenda included:
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
USDOT (ITS JPO and NHTSA)
USDOD
Nevada Dept. of Motor Vehicles
Google, GM, Daimler, Continental
~ 250 attendees

4. Types of Automation
beyond automated longitudinal control (ACC) to add some level of automated lateral control (lane centering)
driver must still maintain vigilance as to any unusual situation on the road
How successful will these systems be in maintaining driver engagement?
Will driver monitoring become common?
Traffic Jam Assistant (full control below a speed threshold on highways)
automated urban “citycars”

5. Industry Representation
Car industry
Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo Cars
Suppliers
Valeo, Continental, others
Google
Ground vehicle robotics firms
Transportation engineering firms

6. Car Industry Perspectives
the advent of vehicle automation is by now a given
systems are being designed to handle the roads and traffic “as-is.”
The role of the infrastructure is open, as to how traffic management and mobility enhancement systems adapt.
Expanding mobility for the disabled and elderly is a motivator
compelling given the aging of the Baby Boom generation

7. Car Industry Perspectives
Dr. Gary Smyth, General Motors
significant vehicle evolution in the next decades
expansion of the DNA of today’s personal mobility vehicle to include electrification, electronics, and connectivity.
“transferred control” (hands/feet off) by mid-end decade
autonomous driving by the end of the decade.
Super Cruise (combined lat/lon control): near term
Knowledge of the driver state and vehicle capability is essential
investing significant effort into understanding transfer of control – this has to be done successfully in 2-3 seconds

8. Car Industry Perspectives
Dr. Luca Delgrossi, Daimler:
stepwise approach to automated driving
looking at autonomous driving as their final goal
F800 prototype: Traffic Jam Assistance
requires driver to touch the steering wheel at regular intervals to stay engaged
Christian Schumacher, Continental
combined longitudinal and lateral control
using equipment currently on the car
implementing new features through sophisticated software

9. Industry Perspective Chris Urmson, Google:
key priority is to program the vehicle to operate as if driven by a human.
strong focus on defining performance metrics
Re introduction: “the perfect is the enemy of the good”
we should not wait for perfection

10. Government States passing driving laws
USDOT assessing risks and addressing challenges
USDOD beginning deployments for specific vehicles and operational environments
Active collaboration between these DOT and DOD being explored

11. USDOT John Augustine, USDOT ITS Joint Program Office
“the technology is feasible and deployment achievable.”
automation can help across the board in addressing road transportation goals
JPO funding multi-agency Automated Vehicle Exploratory Research program
passenger cars, heavy trucks, and transit
John Maddox, NHTSA
newly defined automated driving research program
stake in the ground: autonomous vehicles must be “better than humans.”
goal for automated vehicles: “crash-less … I don't think people are willing to accept robotic error resulting in killing people.”
“challenges can be met”

12. USDOD
Dr. Jim Overholt, US Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC), Ground Vehicle Robotics Innovation Center
“I want to allow soldiers to do something else while doing the mundane task of driving.”
Autonomous Robotics for Installation and Base Operations (ARIBO) program
application of autonomous vehicles to real-world needs at military bases
roads and facilities at these bases can serve as a more “protected” environment compared to the open road
Army sees these bases as a good testbed for autonomous operations
possible way to collaborate with USDOT for testing
pursuing the use of robotic vehicles at Fort Bragg to ferry “wounded warriors” to medical care facilities on-base

13. User Panel: Urban Complexity
constant interaction outside the car – other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians
cyclists must be confident they are “seen” in entering an intersection, and they confirm this by looking at the driver
how will the self-driving car “communicate” in such a situation and share the road space appropriately?
will this new technology be designed for use by the blind to expand their mobility?
a series of demonstrations and public campaigns will be important to inspiring public confidence in automated driving.

14. Legal Issues Panel
change the legal infrastructure to enable automated vehicles, or change the vehicles to adapt to existing law?
general response: vehicles will adapt to the law – not realistic to seek for laws to be passed just to address liability issues with automated vehicles.
on-board data recording important
use electronic discovery of evidence to prepare the way today for lawsuits tomorrow
using data to prove in court when the vehicle is not responsible for a mishap.
significant uncertainty in the legal realm is inhibiting the industry.

15. Connectivity <> Automation
connected vehicles and automated vehicles are separate topics yet inter-related and complementary
in the longer term, exchange of data between vehicles promises to enhance performance overall.
cybersecurity is a significant concern

16. DCS12 Summary
interactive format deepened understanding and cross- industry connections
telling the story important -- we need a strategy and plan in educating the public
cross-industry issues should be addressed, for example:
testing / certification
state-level regulations
continue regular information sharing

17. 2013 Driverless Car Summit Detroit May or June 2013
Annual meetings planned in following years