Connected Cars Take Research Universities on a Test Drive

by  Tanya Roscorla,  Center for Digital Education

When it comes to driving on our roadways, two up-and-coming technologies are front of mind: self-driving cars and connected vehicles. And beginning this summer, four research universities across the U.S. will spend a full year testing out the connected kind — which are filled to the roof with technology features including video cameras, sensors and campus Wi-Fi connections. Researchers from the University of Washington (UW), University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin, Madison (UWM), and Colorado State University (CSU) will test drive self-driving, Internet-connected vehicles on their campuses.

The project, called the Internet2 of Things project, is designed to determine how universities can use connected cars in existing research. As part of the project, the researchers will explore the Internet of Things and sustainability by collecting terabytes of data in real time. “These new vehicles will really provide a great platform for us to do a lot of exciting research relevant to big data and even optimization of the [university electric vehicle]-tracking systems,” says UW professor Yinhai Wang.

In this new, upcoming project, more than 20 faculty members from different colleges and departments will research sensing, energy and transportation. The researchers will track the movements of vehicles, deepen their understanding of the Internet of Things, and see how low-carbon alternative transportation will function on a smart campus.

The project will unite advanced networking, established mechanical engineering research, and the facilities management and service transportation groups in a multi-department collaboration, notes CSU researcher Scott Baily. UWM researchers will focus on a system in which users on campus can check out a vehicle or reserve it online with their university ID.  Report