A few recent examples of our work with connected and automated vehicles (CAVs):

  • How do human interact with automated vehicle technologies, such as during transitions of control and measuring trust in the technology? 
  • How do automated vehicles perform on rural roadways? 
  • How can connected vehicles communicate with each other to improve safety in rural settings?

Project spotlight: ADS for Rural America

ADS for Rural America is funded by the U.S. DOT and aims to improve safety on our roadways, represent rural roads in AV research, and broaden mobility for those in rural areas. 

NADS research vehicles on rural road

ADS for Rural America

Visit our project website to learn more about this demonstration project that used an automated shuttle bus on Iowa roads. 

ADS for Rural America

News: Connected and automated vehicles

Federal grant to help NADS study automated vehicles on rural roads

Thursday, September 19, 2019
The University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) received a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to study the safe deployment of automated vehicles in rural areas.

University of Iowa awarded $7 million from US DOT to test driverless technologies

Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The University of Iowa will put to use a $7.03 million grant it received from the U.S. Department of Transportation to test how automated driving systems safely can be introduced on the state’s roads.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Announces Automated Driving System Demonstration Grant Winners

Wednesday, September 18, 2019
U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced nearly $60 million in federal grant funding to eight projects in seven states to test the safe integration of automated driving systems (ADS) on our nation’s roadways.

Iowa Senate approves autonomous vehicle regulations

Friday, April 5, 2019
The Iowa Senate has approved legislation that would govern how autonomous vehicles operate in the state.

Steering Iowa toward automated vehicles

Friday, March 1, 2019
This Gazette article explores the future of automated vehicles in rural states like Iowa and gives a brief overview of the new research being done in Iowa by researchers at the Driving Safety Research Institute.

Knowing your car's assisted driving limits

Tuesday, October 30, 2018
A report released by AAA with information given from researchers by a team at the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) shows advanced driver assistance systems have the ability to prevent 2.7 million crashes if installed on all vehicles, but researchers are finding those numbers can only be achieved if drivers are well-educated on their systems.

Connected vehicle example

Blind corners and cresting hills can be dangerous spots on rural Iowa roads. In a project with the Iowa DOT, we tested an alert system that alerts drivers to hazards on the road before the driver may see them.

Contact

Ahmad,Omar

Omar Ahmad

Title/Position
Deputy Director