NSF award funds cyber-physical systems research to enhance driving safety

Ohio State engineering and psychology researchers are teaming up to create a next-generation, personalized, active vehicle safety control system that leverages recent advances in onboard computation and vehicle connectivity technologies to enhance driver safety.

Led by Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Junmin Wang, the multidisciplinary team received a four-year $800,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) award for the project, “CPS: Synergy: Cyber-Human Vehicle Systems for Driving Safety Enhancement.”

“The research could lead to a new model for addressing future mobility challenges by creatively capitalizing on technology advances in relevant fields,” Wang said.

Modern ground vehicles are complex cyber-physical systems (CPS) in which many functions are achieved by collaborative interactions between mechanical systems and electronic control units. But human drivers also play a critical role.

The researchers will develop onboard-adaptable and personalized human driver models and create driver-specific vehicle motion control systems, potentially enhancing driving safety and reducing the likelihood of collision. Driving simulator, high-fidelity simulations and real vehicle experiments will be part of the research. 

Co-principal investigators are Associate Professor Xiaorui Wang (computer engineering), Associate Professor Haijun Su (mechanical engineering) and Professor Richard Jagacinski (psychology), representing Ohio State’s College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences.

The award is part of NSF’s efforts to advance cyber-physical systems that will enable capability, adaptability, resiliency, safety, security and usability to transform the way people interact with engineered vehicle systems. 

contributed by Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering