Leading Autonomous Transportation Toward Winter Conditions

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Autonomous cars are coming to Canada and preparing for their safe integration into society must be on a par with the level of disruption they are expected to cause. In recent years, advancements in intelligent transportation systems have progressed at a tremendous speed. Those technological leaps were pushed forward by better sensors and increased computation power. This disruptive innovation opens the door to a new transportation market accessible to more Canadian companies but, at the same time, forces policymakers into unknown territories. Although many companies claim to have developed vehicles with high levels of autonomy, doubts remain regarding the safety of such systems in difficult meteorological conditions.******This research program addresses challenges related to autonomous mobile systems, such as autonomous cars, in relation to the complexity of real-world environments. Considering the uncertainty aspects of complex environments opens new perspectives on navigation algorithms. During the next five years, special attention will be paid to navigation in challenging environments related to harsh winter conditions, a problem which has not received sufficient consideration. The novelty of this research program lies in the extensive experiments to be performed in the field using various autonomous mobile systems equipped with a laser (light detection and ranging, or lidar). Breakthroughs in localization and mapping are expected to push the boundaries of where and when autonomous mobile systems can be used effectively and safely. This program is further divided into four specific objectives: (1) to integrate robust optimization theory into traditional lidar-based registration algorithms; (2) to improve the uncertainty estimation for lidar-based registration algorithms; (3) to design better algorithms to maintain 3D maps in the context of complex, dynamic, and unstructured environments; and (4) to realize a long-term experiment wherein a vehicle must drive autonomously through multiple seasons and difficult meteorological conditions.******The research behind this program is highly significant considering the current excitement around autonomous vehicles. On the one hand, outcomes of the program will foster research in mobile robotics by providing innovative solutions for autonomous navigation in complex 3D environments. On the other hand, they will support both industrial and political stakeholders during the critical transition period toward new transportation solutions by giving inputs about the safety of autonomous mobile systems in winter conditions. The results of this research will also have a ripple effect on different industry sectors beyond automotive, such as mining, forestry, and agriculture, which required localized vehicles in harsh conditions, and the entertainment industry, which relies on accurate localization for special effects.