A self-driving tractor-trailer might be passing you on I-71 and you wouldn't even know it. It looks just like a regular truck and has a driver in the driver's seat. Soon there could be more such trucks.
The state of Ohio has already tested autonomous trucks on US 33, northwest of Columbus, and is currently partnering with Ease Logistics in Dublin to transport goods throughout the state. Later this year or early 2024, Ohio will begin a partnership with Indiana on I-70.
These are platooning trucks, a set of two trucks with the first truck controlling the direction and speed. The second truck responds autonomously. Both have drivers in them.
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DriveOhio Spokesperson Breanna Badanes says it's very possible you've seen one of the Ease Logistics vehicles. "It'll depend on what routes, where the products are being delivered," she says. "The trucks originate typically out of Dublin, Ohio, so they'll be coming out from the Columbus area then heading to other parts of the state. They could be on interstates, U.S. or state routes."
DriveOhio is a division of the Ohio Department of Transportation which deals with emerging transportation technology, including automated vehicle technology, connected vehicle technology, electric vehicle infrastructure and advanced air mobility.
The Ford Transit and Chrysler Pacifica, other self-driving vehicles, are being tested in Southeast Ohio. They are driving on US 33 in Athens and Vinton counties. "A goal for that project is really to see how this technology performs in a rural setting with limited visibility," says Badanes.
Here is a simulated deer that causes the van to stop.
These self-driving vehicles Ohio is testing use a combination of cameras and radar. They do not use artificial intelligence. Levent Guvenc says that's fine for rural roads, but urban environments require vehicles to learn as they go. He and Bilin Aksun Guvenc co-direct Ohio State's Automated Driving Lab.
Using AI, they test self-driving cars in a big parking lot where nobody can get hurt. This car thinks its in Columbus in an urban setting.
"And then basically we can run any scenario just like you put virtual reality goggles on the vehicle and then you can very safely test," says Levent.
The software makes the vehicle think it's driving on actual roads when in fact it's in the parking lot of the old Columbus Crew stadium. Researchers replaced high-resolution sensors with simulated data connected to a very realistic 3D environment. This avoids real road testing where other drivers are involuntary participants.
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The Guvencs would like the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation to use their software to do certification for autonomous vehicles. And there could be collaboration with car manufacturers.
Levent says he's "trying to convince companies to work with us, such that this becomes the next approach. And for instance, places like the Transportation Research Center would be ideal to actually further develop this approach."
It's unclear when Kentucky will start testing autonomous vehicles on its roadways. This year, Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a regulatory framework to do it.
