Enabling Level 4-5 Autonomous Fleet Mobility in Known Environments

自动驾驶得益于传感、计算和通信方面的新技术，这些技术可能会消除导致94%的致命道路车辆事故的人为驾驶错误！汽车公司正在推出级别2(部分自动化，在驾驶任务和环境监控中都有必要的司机干预)和级别3(有条件的自动化，仅在驾驶任务中有必要的司机干预)的自动驾驶车辆，并增加了许多安全好处。然而，实现普通和全天候驾驶的更高级别的自主性(级别4：高度自动化，即车辆可以在某些条件下执行所有驾驶功能；级别5：完全自动化，即车辆可以在所有条件下执行所有驾驶功能)要复杂得多，可能仍需要数十年的工作。这是由于在任何道路、交通、天气条件下感知环境的巨大复杂性，以及在任何驾驶场景中做出适当决定的能力。虽然在任何环境下实现车辆自主仍处于起步阶段，但许多知名环境中的移动性应用目前可以达到4级和5级。这些应用包括用于公共交通、度假村和机场的室外自动车队；以及用于个人移动性和医疗保健和长期护理设施的材料处理的室内应用，仅举几例。这项提议旨在为已知的室外和室内环境实现4级和5级自主机队机动性。这一研究项目的成果可以应用于大量的应用。然而，这一计划将侧重于公共交通、医疗保健和长期护理设施的技术开发。通过申请者现有的自动航天飞机和他目前开发的用于医疗保健和长期设施的机队机动性基础设施，研究成果将被实施用于现实世界的测试和评估。研究成果将为更好、更具成本效益的公共交通提供解决方案，并为医疗保健和长期护理设施提供可靠的室内交通，从而产生重大的经济和社会影响。这将有助于缓解人员短缺，特别是过去两年由于大流行危机以及长期和保健服务成本上升而出现的人员短缺。拟议的研究计划将极大地有助于培训许多拥有深厚自主机动性理论和实践知识的学生，以帮助和塑造自主系统中不断增长的加拿大行业。

Automated driving benefits from novel technologies in sensing, computation, and communication that can potentially eliminate human driving errors that account for 94% of fatal road vehicle accidents! Vehicles with automated driving in Level 2 (partial automation with necessary driver intervention in both driving tasks and monitoring the environment) and Level 3 (conditional automation with necessary driver intervention in driving tasks only) are being introduced by automotive companies with many added safety benefits. However, achieving higher levels of autonomy (Level 4: high automation where the vehicle can perform all driving functions under certain conditions; Level 5: full automation where the vehicle can perform all driving functions under all conditions) for general and all-weather driving is far more complicated, and decades of work might still be needed. This is due to the vast complexity in perceiving the environment in any road, traffic, weather conditions, and the ability to make proper decisions in any driving scenario. While the achievement of vehicle autonomy in any environment is still in its infancy, many mobility applications in well-known environments could presently attain Level 4 and 5. Such applications include outdoor autonomous fleets for public transportation, at resorts, and airports; and indoor applications for personal mobility and material handling in health care and long-term care facilities, to name a few. This proposal is intended to enable Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous fleet mobility for known outdoor and indoor environments. The results of this research program can be applied to a vast number of applications. This program, however, will focus on the development of technology for public transportation, health care, and long-term care facilities. Through the applicant's existing autonomous shuttles and his current development of fleet mobility infrastructure for health care and long-term facilities, research results will be implemented for real-world testing and evaluation. The research outcomes will have significant economical and societal impacts by providing solutions for better and cost-effective public transportation and, reliable indoor mobility for health care and long-term care facilities. This will help alleviate staff shortages, particularly apparent in the past two years due to the pandemic crisis, as well as the rising costs of long term and health care services. The proposed research program will contribute greatly to the training of many students with deep theoretical and practical knowledge in autonomous mobility to help and shape the growing Canadian industry in autonomous systems.