UI waiting for approval on driverless vehicle institute

The wheels are in motion to bring an institute dedicated to driverless cars and other automated vehicles to the University of Iowa, pending approval this week by the Iowa state Board of Regents.

The institute would be based on a potential partnership with companies such as John Deere, Google, Kinze Manufacturing and Rockwell Collins, which already have their own autonomy programs, according to the proposal sent to the regents. In addition to private partnerships with established automated programs, the proposal cites assets such as the university's National Advanced Driving Simulator and Iowa's "ideal combination of soils, streets, spaces and skies" for testing and commercializing driverless technology.

"It's bold but well thought out, and it's perfectly timed for where the university is at and where the industry is at," said Mark Nolte, president of the Iowa City Area Development Group. "So I hope the regents are supportive."

Proponents of the Autonomous, Intelligent Machines and Systems Institute are seeking approval for $3 million over a three-year period from the board, which is scheduled to address the proposal Wednesday.

David Conrad, UI's assistant vice president for economic development, said initial funding would be applied to costs for personnel, equipment and infrastructure for the AIMS Institute, which he said would ideally be located at the UI Research Park.

"It would be fantastic to have a building there," Conrad said.

The institute would be a nonprofit entity funded primarily through federal grants, the proposal said, with a governing body made up of industry and university representatives. The university would recruit and hire "prominent faculty members with relevant industry experience in driverless vehicles and unmanned aircraft."

The proposal comes the same week Carnegie Mellon University made headlines with a driverless Cadillac SRX. The 2011 car modified by university engineers successfully transported a Pennsylvania congressman 33 miles to the Pittsburgh International Airport last week. Development for the vehicle, which uses radar, laser rangefinders and infrared cameras to detect traffic, started in 2008 after Carnegie Mellon won $2 million in a competition hosted by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"So there's a lot of work that has yet to be done, but the technology is there and it's getting better every day," Nolte said.

Beyond technological advances, Nolte said the auto insurance industry and lawmakers must address driverless vehicles, which also can present ethical issues related to programming protocol for emergencies or unavoidable collisions.

"Those are some of the decisions that humans make, and until then, you have to have a system where humans can take control of the vehicle," Nolte said

Since the early 1990s, UI's National Advanced Driving Simulator has been researching automated highway systems, which could use electronic coupling of vehicles to increase roadway capacity. More recently, the simulator has been used to research a vehicle-to-vehicle communication project for the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Conrad said the institute likely would work with NADS to develop public policy tailored to driverless vehicle issues and to research drivers' ability to "take over" moving vehicles.

"One thing that NADS can look at is how much time do you have to react to take manual control of a self-driving car," Conrad said. "And that's an area where they have a lot of experience."

Conrad reiterated that UI would not be directing the institute alone.

"We would be looking for industry to help lead this effort," Conrad said. "We're interested in ... asking students to get experience with companies and having our scientists and researchers work side by side."

Reach Chase Castle at ccastle@press-citizen.com or 887-5412.