A few recent examples of our work with connected and automated vehicles (CAVs):
- How do human interact with automated vehicle technologies, such as during transitions of control and measuring trust in the technology?
- How do automated vehicles perform on rural roadways?
- How can connected vehicles communicate with each other to improve safety in rural settings?
Project spotlight: ADS for Rural America
ADS for Rural America is funded by the U.S. DOT and aims to improve safety on our roadways, represent rural roads in AV research, and broaden mobility for those in rural areas.
ADS for Rural America
Visit our project website to learn more about this demonstration project that used an automated shuttle bus on Iowa roads.
News: Connected and automated vehicles
Photo Gallery: ADS for Rural America
Monday, June 14, 2021
Learn more about our ADS for Rural America project and our newly-equipped Ford Transit shuttle bus, set to be on Iowa roads later this summer.
Case study: Automated Driving Systems for Rural America
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Our tech partners Hexagon | AutonomouStuff in Morton, Illinois, have been busy with the final software integration and testing of our new automated vehicle, set to hit Iowa rural roads this summer.
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
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.
Video: Automated Driving Systems for Rural America
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
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.
Creating an Automated Shuttle for America’s Backroads
Thursday, January 28, 2021
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.
The Road to the Future Runs Through Iowa
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
University of Iowa researchers at the National Advanced Driving Simulator pave the way for the automated vehicles of tomorrow. But how soon before self-driving cars get here? Iowa's rural roads could hold the key.
ADS project update: Our vehicle is now becoming automated
Friday, December 4, 2020
Our Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America project vehicle, a Ford Transit, is being outfitted with technologies that will give it automated capabilities. Soon, the transit will arrive at the University of Iowa and our demonstration project and testing will begin.
University of Iowa researchers focus on the transition from self-driving to manual modes in vehicles
Monday, October 26, 2020
NADS pulls in nearly $1.5M to further study transition of control in automated vehicles
Thursday, October 15, 2020
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) recently granted the University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) a $1.45 million award to further study transition of control in automated vehicles in a simulation environment.
Connected vehicle example
Blind corners and cresting hills can be dangerous spots on rural Iowa roads. In a project with the Iowa DOT, we tested an alert system that alerts drivers to hazards on the road before the driver may see them.
Contact
Omar Ahmad
Title/Position
Deputy Director