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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation
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OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE TURNER-FAIRBANK HIGHWAY RESEARCH CENTER

Harnessing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks to Improve Vulnerable Road User Safety

Project Information

Project ID:
FHWA-PROJ-19-0007
Project Abstract:

The project will investigate, implement, and demonstrate a mobile ad hoc network (MANET)-based, practical, infrastructure-free, secure framework that improves the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists in situations when their safety is most threatened (e.g., nonintersection crossings like midblock, lightly lit areas, evening and late-night situations, and jaywalking). The research team plans to demonstrate this framework in Madison, WI through real-time and high-fidelity interactions among vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Among the innovative features of this project are a preemptive predictive model to warn road users (drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists) of potential conflicts or the need for caution, and a secure privacy-cognizant presence exchange, which is a MANET-based service for the exchange of presence messages between road users.

By exchanging messages, vehicles (connected and/or autonomous, or conventional) and other road users will have ample time to react to safety threats, thereby improving safety conditions of all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. The proposed framework will improve the safety of vulnerable road users at nonintersection locations. The framework also will enable the deployment of other CV applications, development of future policies, standards, and guidelines, as well as employment of potentially transformative life-saving technologies that will help us move forward on the road to zero.

Deliverables:

  • An open-sourced application that enables communication between different road users, sensing the mode of travel, verification of mobility patterns for message source authentication, and a user interface to display safety information for different users.
  • Prediction algorithms for crossing events as a stand-alone library with the corresponding application programming interfaces.
  • Demonstration of the framework.
  • Publicly available aspects of the mobility datasets after taking into account the privacy-infringing features of the user mobility.
  • A final report summarizing the research effort.
Project Status:
Completed
Project Funding Amount (Contract Award Amount):
$924,297.00
Start Date:
End Date:
Public Access Plan:
No
FHWA Program Area:
  • Exploratory Advanced Research
  • Safety
Fiscal Year / AMRP Program / AMRP Activity:
  • FY 2002-2022 / Exploratory Advanced Research
FHWA Activity:
  • Pedestrian / Bicycle

AMRP = Annual Modal Research Plan

Contact Information

Management Organizations

Sponsor Organization

Organization Role:
Sponsor Organization
Organization:
Federal Highway Administration: Office of Research, Development and Technology - Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development
Contact Role:
Project Contact
Contact:
Fessmann, Volker

Deliverables

Links to Project Reports: