Netherlands:  TNO and University of Twente Open New Center for Applications of Integrated Driver Assistance
IVsource.net
1 April 2003

A new knowledge center was opened in February which promises to cover some new ground in the Driver Assistance arena:  the Applications of Integrated Driver Assistance (AIDA) center is a joint venture of the Dutch research institute TNO and the University of Twente.  The center’s goals, mission, and initial research aims are described in this article.

A new knowledge center was opened in February which promises to cover some new ground in the Driver Assistance arena:  the Applications of Integrated Driver Assistance (AIDA) center is a joint venture of the Dutch research institute TNO and the University of Twente.

According to their website, AIDA is motivated by the evolution of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).  They note that in the coming years motorists will have at their command a range of ITS services, such as:

·         pre-trip: information and advice about time of departure, mode of transport and route

·         navigation: real-time information about journey time and advice about route

·         driving: systems to support or take over driving tasks

Following a period of intensive R&D, the first generation of systems and services for ITS is now becoming available commercially.  However, these models typically have limited functionality and work in 'stand alone' mode.  The development of the next generation will draw on experience in practice and will benefit from substantial technical progress.  This second generation will consist of integrated services and systems, which may well be able to communicate with the roadside and other cars, and will be capable of advanced interaction with the driver, taking account of driver preferences and motives.

AIDA researchers say that high expectations rest on ITS around the world, with governments and road operators expecting it to lead to a more efficient, safer and cleaner transport system.  Users of this system face the prospect of faster and more reliable travel and, moreover, the use of "ICT"-based services (that is, services based on Information and Communications Technology).  For industrial suppliers of vehicles and infrastructure, ITS will trigger important product innovation and create opportunities for new products and services.  These suppliers contend that it will only be possible to meet these expectations once sufficient insight exists into the issues surrounding application, such as the user perspective, the algorithms required for systems and services, an estimate of effects, the interaction between intelligent vehicles and intelligent infrastructure and traffic behavior.

AIDA Aims and Mission

The aim of the AIDA knowledge center is to carry out innovative research and to educate students working in the field of driver support systems, a field in which the integration and coordination of subsystems and services is an issue.

AIDA's ambition is to attain a knowledge position of international prominence that produces demonstrable spin-offs of real-world applications.  In support of this aim, AIDA intends to publish in internationally referreed journals and publications and to present at international conferences.  Furthermore, AIDA intends to transfer AIDA results into real-world applications.

Within the first five years of AIDA's operation, research and education will get underway, with the goal of attaining international recognition.  AIDA will be started in 2003 with four building blocks:

• A part-time professor for Applications of Integrated Driver Assistance, who also acts as program leader.

• Two doctoral students: one doctoral student to work on the development of an intelligent journey assistant, and one doctoral student to work on the evaluation of support systems for driving tasks.

• An exchange program between TNO and UT, which fosters the exchange of knowledge via the exchange of personnel, working meetings and symposia.

• A user group, which monitors the relevance of the research and in which interested parties from the government and business world are being asked to participate.  The purpose of the user group is to maximize the ultimate usefulness of the research results.  This is achieved by having the group give feedback before and during the research on the plans and intermediate results.

Research Themes

Working within the following themes, AIDA concentrates on research into integrated systems and services that support the driver:

·         User perspective. What are the wishes and requirements of the road-user with respect to support systems and services and to what extent can they be fulfilled by support systems and services?

·         Design of algorithms for the functional operation of support systems and services.  For example, to collect information specifically on the underlying road network and at incidents or to predict journey times.

·         Estimate of effects. What effects do support systems and services have on travel, both objectively and subjectively as experienced by the driver, and on traffic performance, in terms of flow, reliability, safety and the environment?

·         Interaction between intelligent vehicles and intelligent infrastructure.  What value is created by enabling interaction between intelligent vehicles and intelligent infrastructure?  What new concepts can be made possible for vehicle guidance and traffic management based on the exchange of information and the gearing of vehicles' actions to one another and with the roadside?

·         Traffic behavior. How does the behavior of drivers change when they make use of driver-support systems ... and how does this impact traffic safety, acceptance and flow?

Initial Priorities

Dr. Bart van Arem of TNO leads the research center.  Regarding his priorities for AIDA, he tells IVsource that “the first thing I am going to address is an assessment framework for integrated driver assistance, with special attention to user acceptance and driver behavior.  

"The next subject will be focused more on ITS services in the car: what works for supplier and user and what does not work?  And what are the impacts on traffic?”

AIDA is located within the Center for Transport Studies within the University of Twente.  The Center is a department of the Faculty of Engineering Technology.  A major part of the research will be conducted within the Centre for Telematics and Information Technology (CTIT).  Within TNO, AIDA is being set up by TNO Inro and TNO Human Factors.

Prof. Dr. Bart van Arem of TNO and Prof. Dr. Martin van Maarseveen of UT “put the puzzle pieces together” to mark the start of AIDA

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For More Information ...

... visit www.aida.utwente.nl on the web.

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