SBIR Phase I:Autonomous Warning Triangle System (aWTS) for Emergency Stopping

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to ensure the secure transfer of goods and/or passengers in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and prevent the likelihood of secondary incidents when a commercial motor vehicles (CMV) has made an emergency stop on a highway. All CMVs need to comply with traffic safety regulations and deploy emergency warning devices (e.g., safety triangles) during an emergency stop. Without the presence of a human driver, an automated CMV should also be able to automate emergency warning device placement. Proper placement of these warning devices can be life-saving for drivers of non-automated vehicles on a highway. The proposed project will increase the safety of external drivers by preventing any secondary incidents associated with the lane/shoulder blockage due to a CMV malfunction and protect drivers of non-automated and/or semi-automated vehicles by assisting in the deployment of emergency warning triangles on highways. This project aims to remove barriers to higher-order automated technology adoption due to lack of standardization._x000D_ _x000D_ The project will result in the design, research, and development of an affordable, after-market, reliable, and safe autonomous Warning Triangle System (aWTS) to ensure the safety of the automated and semi-automated commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) during an emergency stop without requiring human assistance. aWTS consists of three low-cost autonomous triangle reflector devices which are planned to optimally fit in a charging dock/enclosure where they will be safely stored during stand-by mode. When activated by the emergency signal transmitted from the CMV, the autonomous triangles are designed to move successively to their pre-determined destinations on the highway. The research and development activity during this Phase I project includes, but is not limited to: reviewing safety codes and regulations, investigating different highway scenarios and associated challenges, and performing computer simulations; developing proof-of-concept hardware that can demonstrate the proposed system’s technical feasibility and its integration to automated CMVs; determining the optimal placement and assembly of the autonomous reflective triangles by collaborating with auto manufacturers; investigating the potential cyber-security risks to develop secure communications between CMV and aWTS; and identifying the operational challenges and the design targets while considering the cost of deployment, lifecycle costs, functional use, and interoperability._x000D_ _x000D_ This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.