Development of an Energy Efficient and Cost Effective Autonomous Vehicle Research Platform

Nicholas E. Brown; Johan F. Rojas; Nicholas A. Goberville; Hamzeh Alzubi; Qusay AlRousan; Chieh Wang; Shean Huff; Jackeline Rios-Torres; Ali Riza Ekti; Tim J. LaClair; Richard Meyer; Zachary D. Asher

doi:10.3390/s22165999

Development of an Energy Efficient and Cost Effective Autonomous Vehicle Research Platform

Nicholas E. Brown, Johan F. Rojas, Nicholas A. Goberville, Hamzeh Alzubi, Qusay AlRousan, Chieh Wang, Shean Huff, Jackeline Rios-Torres, Ali Riza Ekti, Tim J. LaClair, Richard Meyer, Zachary D. Asher

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology is a major goal of the automotive industry, thus research in this space is rapidly expanding across the world. However, despite this high level of research activity, literature detailing a straightforward and cost-effective approach to the development of an AV research platform is sparse. To address this need, we present the methodology and results regarding the AV instrumentation and controls of a 2019 Kia Niro which was developed for a local AV pilot program. This platform includes a drive-by-wire actuation kit, Aptiv electronically scanning radar, stereo camera, MobilEye computer vision system, LiDAR, inertial measurement unit, two global positioning system receivers to provide heading information, and an in-vehicle computer for driving environment perception and path planning. Robotic Operating System software is used as the system middleware between the instruments and the autonomous application algorithms. After selection, installation, and integration of these components, our results show successful utilization of all sensors, drive-by-wire functionality, a total additional power* consumption of 242.8 Watts (*Typical), and an overall cost of $118,189 USD, which is a significant saving compared to other commercially available systems with similar functionality. This vehicle continues to serve as our primary AV research and development platform.

Original language	English
Article number	5999
Journal	Sensors (Switzerland)
Volume	22
Issue number	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/s22165999
State	Published - Aug 2022

Funding

This manuscript has been authored in part by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan accessed in August 2022). This research was funded by 2020 Michigan Mobility Challenge North American International Auto Show which was supported by the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Keywords

LiDAR
autonomous vehicle system
camera
connected and automated vehicle
intelligent transportation system
obstacle detection
perception
radar
self-driving cars
sensors

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3390/s22165999

Cite this

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abstract = "Commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology is a major goal of the automotive industry, thus research in this space is rapidly expanding across the world. However, despite this high level of research activity, literature detailing a straightforward and cost-effective approach to the development of an AV research platform is sparse. To address this need, we present the methodology and results regarding the AV instrumentation and controls of a 2019 Kia Niro which was developed for a local AV pilot program. This platform includes a drive-by-wire actuation kit, Aptiv electronically scanning radar, stereo camera, MobilEye computer vision system, LiDAR, inertial measurement unit, two global positioning system receivers to provide heading information, and an in-vehicle computer for driving environment perception and path planning. Robotic Operating System software is used as the system middleware between the instruments and the autonomous application algorithms. After selection, installation, and integration of these components, our results show successful utilization of all sensors, drive-by-wire functionality, a total additional power* consumption of 242.8 Watts (*Typical), and an overall cost of $118,189 USD, which is a significant saving compared to other commercially available systems with similar functionality. This vehicle continues to serve as our primary AV research and development platform.",

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Development of an Energy Efficient and Cost Effective Autonomous Vehicle Research Platform

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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