Smart and Connected Roads and Vehicles A Next Generation Mobility Workshop, February 25, 2021

1. Reimagining Road Infrastructure:
Smart and Connected Roads and Vehicles
Shashi Shekhar
University of Minnesota
Anil Misra
University of Kansas
Connected Roads and Vehicles: A Next Generation Mobility Workshop
February 25, 2021

2. Outline
▪ Importance of Road Transportation
▪ Current Challenges
▪ Emerging Trends and Opportunities
▪ Demands/Needs and Strategies

3. Importance of Road Transportation
▪ Roadways and highways are national
economic lifelines that affect every sphere of
society
▪ Global economic competitiveness of US
▪ Transportation saved lives during pandemic -
food, vaccine, healthcare delivery …

4. Current Challenges
▪ Aging/ Crumbling infrastructure
▪ Environmental Impact/
Sustainability - Climate
Change
▪ Equity
▪ Readiness for next generation
technology

5. Emerging Trends and Opportunities
▪ ACES vehicles
■ Automated, Connected, Eco (Electric),
Shared
▪ Smart and connected communities and
infrastructure (5G, IR4)
▪ Smart materials and sensors

6. ACES Vehicles:
Automated, Connected, Eco (Electric), Shared
Buttigieg sets goals for electric, automated freight vehicles
(The Hill 02/17/21 )
● Newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is planning to embark on
ambitious priorities for electric and automated freight fleet vehicles as part of the Biden
administration’s overall goals for combating climate change. ...
● Buttigieg’s plans for automated and electric commercial vehicles come on the heels of a
report from his predecessor, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who released
a National Freight Strategic Plan in September that included supporting the development
and adoption of automation and connectivity.
● “Automated fleets have the potential to reduce cost, improve efficiency and increase
flexibility, but they may also displace jobs,” Michalek said.

7. Smart/Connected Communities and Infrastructure
Impact of ACES Vehicles
● Safety
● Parking needs
● Traffic flow and congestion
● Equity, e.g., Spatial mismatch between
employment and housing
● …

8. Smart Materials and Sensors
▪ Sensing
▪ Metamaterials
▪ Intelligent signage
▪ Panels with embedded telecom
▪ Vibration control and other active/passive
structural control

9. Outline
▪ Importance of Road Transportation
▪ Current Challenges
▪ Emerging Trends and Opportunities
▪ Demands/Needs and Strategies
○ Stakeholder views
○ From here (existing infra) to there (future intelligent)

10. ▪ User/consumer view
o Need safe and resilient, efficient and cost effective, and
equitable.
▪ Owner/operator view
o How to maximize system life, minimize environmental impact,
provide intelligent sensing infrastructure, measure performance
states in real time, and predict future performance/needs.
Stakeholder Views

11. From here (existing) to there (future intelligent) -
Path Forward
▪ How may we catalyze the innovation ecosystem
o What are the business/revenue models?
o What policy support is needed? Potential risks and needed
regulations to maximize positive social impact and mitigate the
negative impacts.
o What are the technological barriers?
o What are the workforce training needs?
o What is the role of academia?
▪ Is there a need for community building?
o If yes, what should be goals (networking, advocacy,
standardization, ...)

12. Workshop Agenda
▪ 8:40-9:30 Panel Discussion
▪ 9:40-10:10 – Ideation and Breakout Sessions
o Current projects and opportunities in pipeline (15 minutes)
o Possible future collaborations (15 minutes)
▪ Example Questions
o How can pedestrians, bicyclists, automobiles sharing the road, and sense
each other at intersections, during adverse weather conditions?
o Where should the communications, power supply, sensors reside – (is the
road completely passive - if yes then how does it communicate its condition,
if active then how?)
o What are the barriers in adoption of new technologies ?

13. Acknowledgement
• Colleagues at: City College of New York (CCNY), Purdue University,
University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Minnesota.
• Colleagues at KC DigitalDrive.
• Participants at the October 2019, Arlington, VA workshop.
• Support from:
• US National Science Foundation Grants: EEC-1840432