Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute News
Middle schoolers prepare for transportation-themed robotics competition on campus
More than 250 young science enthusiasts from across Minnesota converged on the University of Minnesota campus October 15 for a morning of educational workshops and tours of research facilities. The event, hosted by the Institute of Technology, CTS, and educational nonprofit organization High Tech Kids, was planned to help the students prepare for "Smart Move," the 2009 FIRST LEGO League robotics competition.
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View video recording of the keynote presentation
Annual report now available
The ITS Institute's 2008–2009 annual report is now available online. The report highlights the Institute's research, education, and outreach activities from July 2008 through June 2009.
U of M, Mn/DOT develop new snowplow
Rajesh Rajamani
KSTP - TV, October 14, 2009
A smart new snowplow under development by the University of Minnesota and Mn/DOT may make roads safer while using less salt, which saves money and in turn helps the environment. U of M mechanical engineering professor Rajesh Rajamani, the developer of the plow, says the plow's sensor technology allows for a more targeted attack on snow and ice.
Drivers and their toys: Unsafe at any speed?
Star Tribune, September 30, 2009
Federal officials, transportation experts, and academics are convening in Washington, D.C., for a first-ever summit on how to combat distracted driving.... "This is not a new topic," said Michael Manser, who's attending the Washington summit in his role as director of the HumanFIRST program at the U's Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute.
ITS Institute brings transportation innovations to the Minnesota State Fair
The ITS Institute and the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) participated in the 2009 Minnesota State Fair on Sept. 4 with a booth featuring the latest transportation innovations. In addition, Star Tribune "Roadguy" blogger Jim Foti hosted four rounds of "Transportation Jeopardy" as fairgoers competed for prizes.
New signal control strategy for isolated intersections
CTS Research E-News, August 2009
Rural and suburban intersections can benefit from improved traffic signal control.
Smoothing out traffic flow through isolated rural and suburban high-speed intersections is the latest traffic management challenge taken up by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Civil Engineering. Assistant professor Henry Liu and graduate student Sundeep Bhimireddy developed a traffic signal control strategy that reduces traffic flow disruption occurring when groups of vehicles traveling at highway speeds are forced to stop frequently at isolated intersections. The research was funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Seminar series begins September 10
The Advanced Transportation Technologies Seminars begin September 10 with a seminar about privacy law for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The seminars are part of the CTS Seminar Series and run weekly through early December. They also will be broadcast live on the Web and available for later viewing.
System that measures mileage for user fees featured in national toll road publication
A system proposed by Institute researchers for charging mileage-based road user fees was featured recently in the newsletters TollRoads News, Surface Transportation Innovations, and AASHTO Journal. The system, designed to be deployed in the near-term, uses a plug-in device in vehicles and builds on existing technology. Communication is available wherever cellular service is accessible, meaning no new wireless infrastructure is needed.
ITS Institute researcher to speak at international conference
Rajesh Rajamani
Institute researcher and mechanical engineering professor Rajesh Rajamani has been invited to be the plenary speaker at the 29th IASTED International Conference on Modeling, Identification and Control, to be held in Innsbruck, Austria, in February 2010. He will speak on "Novel Sensors, New Estimation Algorithms and Advanced Controls: Solutions for Improving Highway Vehicle Safety and Mobility." Rajamani's research was featured in a recent article in the Institute's quarterly newsletter, The Sensor.
More information about the conference
More information about Rajesh Rajamani
New online game explores world of traffic management
A new traffic control game developed by the ITS Institute and Web Courseworks lets high school students try their hand at working in the engineering and transportation field.
"Gridlock Buster" is a traffic control game that incorporates tools and ideas that traffic control engineers use in their everyday work. Players must pass a series of levels while acquiring specific skills for controlling the traffic and ensuring that delays don't get out of hand. For example, a player might need to manage a high volume of traffic passing through an intersection, where long lines form if vehicles don't get enough green-light time. The more drivers are delayed, the more frustrated they get—causing the game's "frustration meter" to rise. Sound effects and animation simulate cars honking and drivers' fists shaking to illustrate the realistic results of backed-up traffic queues.
The game is based on work by Chen-Fu Liao, the ITS Institute’s education systems engineer. The goal is to provide a fun way to engage students in the traffic engineering field, teach what is involved in traffic grid management, and make transportation interesting and relevant.
Play "Gridlock Buster"
Listen to WCCO Radio interview about the game (July 20, 2009)
Minnesota magazine, Fall 2009
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Experts say re-timing traffic signals could reduce pollution, travel times
Minnesota Public Radio, June 18, 2009
Researchers suggest that dramatic reductions in pollution could be achieved simply by retiming traffic lights... The other problem impeding smoother Twin Cities traffic flow is too many cooks in the kitchen, according to the John Hourdos, a University of Minnesota engineering researcher and traffic expert.
Minnesota seat belt legacy comes full circle with new law
KARE - TV, June 8, 2009
If you don't already have enough reasons to buckle up you'll gain one more motivating factor Tuesday... More than a half century ago University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor James "Crash" Ryan made his mark in auto safety history by perfecting his retractable harness.
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Learn more about James "Crash" Ryan
Experimental safety sign to go up on Highway 53
KUWS Radio (Wisconsin), May 17, 2009
Wisconsin is installing traffic safety equipment in Minong to stop rural car crashes.... Engineers and psychologists at the University of Minnesota developed the new traffic sign.
Minneapolis high school students visit U of M
Institute director Max Donath with Patrick Henry High School students visiting the University of Minnesota
On May 15, Institute director Max Donath provided a group of multicultural students from Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis with a University-level class experience—an introduction to robotics. The visit, arranged by the University’s Office of Admissions, was meant to introduce the students to the University of Minnesota as well as encourage them to attend once they graduate.
NATSRL research honored
A research team led by Xun Yu, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, has been selected as one of three teams representing the North American region to participate in the Third Collegiate Student Safety Technology Design Competition at the 21st International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles in Stuttgart, Germany, June 15–18, 2009. Yu’s group is one of two teams selected from the USA; the other group is from Canada. With support from the Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratories (NATSRL), Yu has been working to develop a Driver Drowsiness Detection System.
In addition, a proposal by Yu to develop “Self-sensing Concrete Pavement” has been recently recommended for funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF). This research is an extension of Yu’s current NATSRL research project, Intelligent Pavement for Traffic Flow Detection with Carbon Nanotubes