Driving Safety Research Institute

Our Mission

We aim to make roads safer by researching the connection between humans and vehicles. We are home to the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and we now have a new name for our broader institute: the Driving Safety Research Institute.

About Us

Participate

Participate in one of our studies, or join our registry to get notified about new studies.

Rose Schmitt and John Gaspar in NADS-1 control room

Our Research

We partner with researchers around the world to study the connection between humans and vehicles.

The 24-foot NADS-1 simulator is on a six-legged base that rotates up to 330° and moves across the 64-foot square bay floor to simulate driving motions such as accelerating, lane changing, and skidding. There are 23 brakes on the large crossbeam that spans the room, while 42 hydrostatic bearings ride on a thin film of oil across smooth metal belts.

Our Tech

Simulators and Vehicles miniSim

News

What Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Means For Iowa

Monday, April 5, 2021

Iowa Public Radio

NADS Director Dan McGehee appeared on Iowa Public Radio's River to River, toward the end of the hour talking about next generation transportation.

Project update: Equipment installed on new research vehicle

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

The Transit shuttle bus for the University of Iowa's ADS for Rural America project has been equipped with automated driving technology by Illinois-based AutonomouStuff.

Autonomous Lingo in the Repair Space

Friday, March 5, 2021

ADAPT Automotive

Advertising campaigns have been overestimating vehicle’s capabilities since the 1960s, but with today’s technology, hyperbolic language has the power to be dangerous. NADS Director Dan McGehee explains.

Iowa Magazine video: ADS for Rural America

Video: Automated Driving Systems for Rural America

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

University of Iowa Center for Advancement

How do people in rural areas who can’t drive get where they need to go? Decades down the road, “AVs could allow these people to continue to live independently,” says Omar Ahmad.

Connected simulation captures realistic human interaction

Thursday, February 4, 2021

NADS recently wrapped up a multi-year project connecting multiple people interacting in the same virtual environment.

Cameras mounted on the exterior of the driver and passenger side doors capture lane position.

Medical research meets driving research

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Does exercise change driving performance in patients with Parkinson’s disease?

Tesla and Ford Transit, UI automated vehicles

Creating an Automated Shuttle for America’s Backroads

Thursday, January 28, 2021

ADAPT Automotive

An automated shuttle bus is about to hit Iowa roads next summer. Here's a brief update on our ADS for Rural America project by ADAPT, including how our vehicle is becoming automated at AutonomouStuff, LLC to how COVID-19 has impacted the project.

International scholars partner on research projects

Monday, January 25, 2021

Visiting scientists from around the world come to NADS to work on research projects for sometimes months at a time and collaborate with our experts. One such example was in fall 2019, with Felix Ellensohn from the Technical University of Munich, Germany.