57days until
the 2013 workshop

Program

Overview

Automation of road vehicles is accelerating, catalyzed by substantial private investment and significant public discussion. Last year’s workshop brought together key government, industry, and academic experts from around the world to identify research needs in seven areas. This year’s participants will build on that work by identifying additional needs and by initiating and advancing research in disciplines ranging from engineering to law to planning. This work will proceed through expert plenary presentations, topical breakout sessions, and vehicle demonstrations. The chart below provides an overview of the workshop.

Please note that the TRB workshop begins Tuesday morning and ends Thursday before lunch. Supplemental special sessions sponsored by SAE International, the US DOT, and the State of California (on Monday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning, respectively) do not require a registration fee. When you register for the TRB workshop, you will be asked whether you intend to attend those sessions. This will help the meeting planners to make suitable arrangements for meeting organization and room size. Contact the organizers to propose a side meeting, special session, or other addition to the program schedule.

Agenda

Time Monday, July 15 Tuesday, July 16 Wednesday, July 17 Thursday, July 18 Friday, July 19
8:30-Noon Workshop Opening
Plenary Speakers
Plenary Speakers Summary of Results of Breakout Sessions

Presentation of US DOT Draft Research Plan for Road Vehicle Automation
Special Session
California-Specific Topics in Road Vehicle Automation
(ends at 12:30pm)
Noon-1:30 Lunch Provided Lunch Provided Workshop Closing
(Lunch Optional)
1:30-5:00 Part 1 for All Breakout Groups: Understanding Challenges and Opportunities Part 2 for All Breakout Groups: Documenting Research Needs Special Session
 Review of US DOT Draft Research Plan for Road Vehicle Automation
Evening Special Session
SAE On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards Committee Open Meeting
(4:30-6:30pm)
Reception Reception and Open House at Stanford University Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab (VAIL)

Vehicle and system demonstrations will take place all week.

Plenary Speakers

The workshop plenary speakers are internationally respected experts actively working at the leading edge of road vehicle automation. In addition to speaking about their current research, they have agreed to speak directly to the impacts, opportunities, and benefits anticipated through increased automation. 

  • Adriano Alessandrini, University of Rome, La Sapienza
  • Arne Bartels, Volkswagen
  • Jan Becker, Bosch
  • Ron Medford, Google
  • Clifford Nass, Stanford University
  • Joseph I. Peters, Federal Highway Administration
  • Paul Rau, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  • Dirk Rossberg, BMW North America
  • Mike Schagrin, Research and Innovative Technologies Administration
  • Bryant Walker Smith, Stanford Law School
  • Bernard Soriano, California Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Joakim Svensson, iMobility Forum Working Group on Automated Road Transport
  • Paul Schmitt, Volvo Group Truck Technology
  • Steve Underwood, University of Michigan

Breakout Groups

Eleven breakout groups will meet in parallel on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. The topics were selected to represent the multidisciplinary challenges of road vehicle automation. Each session has been planned by experts in the discipline. Session 1 on Tuesday afternoon will establish opportunities and challenges; Session 2 on Wednesday afternoon will develop research needs statements. It is anticipated that many participants will stay with one topic for both sessions, and that some will switch topics for the second day; thus, all groups will open Session 2 with a short review of the previous afternoon. Breakout sessions will make a report to the plenary on Thursday morning.

Click here for more information on the breakout groups.
Click here to sign up for a breakout group.

Demonstrations

An important aspect of our workshop will be a “touch, feel and ride” experience, bringing the prospect and promise of vehicle automation to the attendee. We are therefore preparing on-road demonstrations of vehicles, in-vehicle sub-systems, simulators and other relevant enabling technologies. While the number of demonstrations and whether we can accommodate all attendees who sign up is uncertain, we do hope the participants and organizations can benefit from the experience and feedback received. The demonstrations will run from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon, with the number of attendees able to experience them dependent on the quantity and the throughput of the demonstrations.

Special Sessions

SAE On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards (ORAVS) Committee

Monday, July 15, 4:15 - 6:15 pm

This open meeting is an opportunity to learn more about the work of the On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards (ORAVS) committee of SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) and to discuss the types of standards that will be needed for automated vehicles in the future. The ORAVS committee is responsible for developing and maintaining SAE Standards, Recommended Practices, and Information Reports related to automated ground vehicles. The committee includes experts, acting in their individual capacities, from OEMs, suppliers, consulting firms, universities, and governments as well as other interested parties. It is currently developing an Information Report that provides functional definitions for the levels of automation of road vehicles and a Recommended Practice on safety guidelines for on-road testing of prototype automated vehicles. This session is free of charge. 

U.S. DOT Public Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Thursday, July 18, 1:30 - 4:30 pm

The U.S. DOT is developing a multimodal research program plan to address the federal research role in automation in road transportation. The draft plan will be presented in plenary on Thursday morning, and will be discussed following a lunch break on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. DOT objective for this special session is to facilitate an expert discussion of the federal research role in this still evolving area of transportation. This session is free of charge.

California-Specific Topics in Road Vehicle Automation

Friday, July 19, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

The state of California is holding a special session, open to all attendees of the TRB workshop, to consider the specific implications of road vehicle automation for California. California has long been a leader in transportation innovations and is the center of the world’s information technology industry. Road vehicle automation could provide an opportunity for California to leverage both of these historical advantages to become an international leader in the road vehicle industry as well. 

This workshop will be an interactive discussion about the opportunities and challenges that California faces in road vehicle automation, including topics such as:
  • Transportation needs that could be addressed by road vehicle automation 
  • Transportation infrastructure improvements that could facilitate deployment and operation of vehicle automation systems 
  • Silicon Valley specific opportunities, including local automotive industry research laboratories 
  • Rules to govern testing and operation of automated vehicles on public roads, considering balanced promotion of public safety and industry progress. 
The session is open to the public and free of charge.

Registration information >>