Dan McGehee, director of the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS), was featured on Iowa Public Radio's River To River with Ben Kieffer last month in a segment about transportation.
McGehee focused on a recent $7 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to NADS to study how automated vehicles operate on rural roads. It is part of the Automated Driving Systems for Rural America project to examine how technology can help solve mobility challenges in rural settings.
The segment begins at around the 10-minute mark.
McGehee noted most automated vehicle testing occurs in locations that experience hot, dry roads year-round. This leaves out many conditions vehicles encounter in rural settings, such as gravel roads, farm machinery or horse-drawn carriages, he said.
"There is a big difference between driving in Iowa than Silicon Valley," McGehee said.
The testing vehicle, which will include drivers and other passengers, will follow a 47-mile route around the Iowa City area. The vehicle will be equipped with LIDAR detection systems, computer vision systems, radars, and highly resolute GPS maps to assist with data collection.