Enhanced Perception for Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) to Increase Work Zone Safety

This project makes an existing Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) system fully operational for Canadian harsh weather conditions and develops an augmented perception framework to enhance motion planning of the control system. The primarily focus of ATMA is ensuring the safety of highway workers and transportation infrastructure in work zones. On successfully understanding the existing control system, perception module will be augmented visual and radar information for reliable decision making and control in various environmental and highway driving conditions. This is to address low visibility and perceptually degraded conditions (by Camera or LiDAR) in harsh weather scenarios. To enhance situation awareness, decentralizez sensing methods will be used through connectivity of the system to the leader truck. This communication will improve perception of the leader/follower trucks used in the ATMA system, thus reliability of the control system; its effectiveness will be evaluated through the Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF) metrics.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ehsan Hashemi

Student:

Partner:

Ledcor Highways Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Alberta

Program: