November 18, 2013
Event: More than 1.2 million people die globally each year from traffic accidents and the average American spends one workweek per year in traffic delays. So, how can we improve our highways and critical infrastructure?
Raj Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and co-director of the joint U.S. Department of Transportation's University Transportation Center, will tell members of a House Committee and Subcommittee on Highways and Transit that new technology holds great promise for dramatically improving highway safety and efficiency.
Rajkumar is expected to discuss how close we are to making autonomous driving a reality, its economic and societal benefits, as well as the importance of continued fundamental research to address the technological challenges that remain, such as handling poor weather conditions and fixed and moving obstacles, as well as making systems redundant and robust enough to ensure the safety of the traveling public and pedestrians.
In September, CMU researchers demonstrated to U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, that a self-driving vehicle could change lanes and negotiate congestion and highway traffic during a 33-mile drive from Cranberry, Pa., to Pittsburgh International Airport.
When: 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Where: 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
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Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon's Raj Rajkumar To Testify Before House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Contact: Chriss Swaney / 412-268-5776 / swaney@andrew.cmu.eduEvent: More than 1.2 million people die globally each year from traffic accidents and the average American spends one workweek per year in traffic delays. So, how can we improve our highways and critical infrastructure?Raj Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and co-director of the joint U.S. Department of Transportation's University Transportation Center, will tell members of a House Committee and Subcommittee on Highways and Transit that new technology holds great promise for dramatically improving highway safety and efficiency.
Rajkumar is expected to discuss how close we are to making autonomous driving a reality, its economic and societal benefits, as well as the importance of continued fundamental research to address the technological challenges that remain, such as handling poor weather conditions and fixed and moving obstacles, as well as making systems redundant and robust enough to ensure the safety of the traveling public and pedestrians.
In September, CMU researchers demonstrated to U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, that a self-driving vehicle could change lanes and negotiate congestion and highway traffic during a 33-mile drive from Cranberry, Pa., to Pittsburgh International Airport.
When: 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Where: 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
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