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Intelligent transportation systems to be displayed

The World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems showcases the latest in automotive technology including driverless vehicles and "smart" cars.

ALFONSO CASTILLO

12:33 PM EST, November 17, 2008

With "Knight Rider" back on the air after more than 20 years, new generations of television viewers are fantasizing about the day that a car will be able to talk with its operator and even take the wheel when necessary.

That day is closer than you might think. In fact, technology allowing cars to communicate with drivers and with the roads - and even drive themselves - is already here, and will be on display in New York City and Long Island through Thursday as part of the World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

One of the mission control centers for the event is the state Department of Transportation's INFORM Center in Hauppauge, where traffic experts, using state-of-the-art technology, will help guide participants through the commute of the future.

"That's what this World Congress is about - really showing how far it's come," said INFORM Director Emilio Sosa.

While some of the gadgetry shown at the four-day event at Manhattan's Jacob Javits Center is sure to attract "oohs" and "aahs," organizers say that's not the point. The technology, they say, is being developed for three primary reasons: improving the environment, reducing congestion and saving lives.

"The vision is for an environment where cars don't crash," said ITS World Congress chairman Michael Noblett, who called the 42,000 annual automotive deaths nationwide unacceptable. "The technology excuse is off the table ... Guess what, folks. It works."

The event is co-sponsored by ITS America, a trade group of transportation experts from the public and private sectors, and is expected to attract some 10,000 participants.

Through Thursday, five blocks along 11th Avenue in midtown Manhattan will be shut down to show off some the technology, including lane departure warning systems that will warn a driver if he is drifting off a lane or a road, and steer him back into place if necessary; systems that will allow buses to control traffic lights; and collision prevention systems that will warn a driver if, for example, another driver is about to run a red light at an intersection. If the driver doesn't heed the warning, the system will automatically apply the brakes.

Cars that don't need drivers

And then there is the "autonomous" car. Two such driverless vehicles, known as DARPA cars for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will be let loose in front of the Javits Center to show off their crash-avoidance technology as stunt drivers operate other cars.

Implementation of the technology is jointly funded by the city and state governments, the technology's developers and private industry.

ITS World Congress attendees also will be able to ride a bus on a 50-mile loop from Manhattan through Hauppauge, via the Long Island Expressway. On the way, riders will experience the future of car-to-car and car-to-road communications. On an onboard display, which engineers expect some day to be standard in cars, sensors along roadsides will communicate with drivers about their specific rides.

"How long is it going to take to go around this loop? What is the delay at the Lincoln Tunnel? What time is my train coming in at the station?" are all questions that could be answered using "Vehicle Infrastructure Integration" technology, Noblett said.

While engineers are only beginning to tap the possibilities of that technology, it has been available on Long Island for many years through the DOT's INFORM program. With nearly 200 cameras and other information-compiling methods, transportation officials communicate road conditions to Long Island drivers via electronic road signs and radio broadcasts.

Talking with individual cars

Until now, though, that communication has been limited. Technology being developed will allow road sensors to communicate directly with vehicles - gathering data from onboard computers, cell phones and navigation systems - to tailor specific information for drivers.

DOT spokeswoman Eileen Peters said with more information from vehicles, DOT will be able to report real-time traffic conditions, zero in on road obstructions and potholes, and even tell each car how fast it should be driving.

Part of the mission of ITS pioneers is to have their efforts recognized in Congress' next federal transportation bill, paving the way for state governments to install the necessary infrastructure to allow the technologies to work.

Thanks in part to its hosting the ITS World Congress, New York is already ahead of the curve as "the largest urban test bed" for the technology in the world, Noblett said. Most of the infrastructure needed to perform the demonstrations next week, including 22 radio sensors and transmitters stretching from Manhattan to Hauppauge along the LIE, will stay in place.

Latest Advances

Some of the cutting-edge technology on display through Thursday at the World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Collision avoidance systems: Using sensors in vehicles, roads and even pedestrians' cell phones, cars will be able to anticipate a potential incident or crash and warn a driver, and if the driver fails to act, apply brakes on its own.

Autonomous vehicles: Driverless vehicles, originally intended for the military, are being developed by a number of research institutes and car manufacturers. Using sensors in the vehicles, the cars can maneuver through traffic, negotiate tight turns and get from Point A to Point B without the passenger ever needing to touch the steering wheel.

Vehicle infrastructure integration systems: Already in place in some capacity, the systems will allow cars to communicate with roads to get vehicle-specific information about trips including traffic and weather conditions, train and flight delays, underpass heights and upcoming tolls.

Probe data systems: Already on some roads as roadside sensors that read E-ZPass tags and predict travel times, new technology will allow sensors to read onboard computers and know such things as whether a vehicle's windshield wipers are on and what kind of emissions it is producing.