Advances in Automated Driving Systems

Electrification, automation of vehicle control, digitalization and new mobility are the mega-trends in automotive engineering, and they are strongly connected. While many demonstrations for highly automated vehicles have been made worldwide, many challenges remain in bringing automated vehicles to the market for private and commercial use. The main challenges are as follows: reliable machine perception; accepted standards for vehicle-type approval and homologation; verification and validation of the functional safety, especially at SAE level 3+ systems; legal and ethical implications; acceptance of vehicle automation by occupants and society; interaction between automated and human-controlled vehicles in mixed traffic; human–machine interaction and usability; manipulation, misuse and cyber-security; the system costs of hard- and software and development efforts. This Special Issue was prepared in the years 2021 and 2022 and includes 15 papers with original research related to recent advances in the aforementioned challenges. The topics of this Special Issue cover: Machine perception for SAE L3+ driving automation; Trajectory planning and decision-making in complex traffic situations; X-by-Wire system components; Verification and validation of SAE L3+ systems; Misuse, manipulation and cybersecurity; Human–machine interactions, driver monitoring and driver-intention recognition; Road infrastructure measures for the introduction of SAE L3+ systems; Solutions for interactions between human- and machine-controlled vehicles in mixed traffic

Maine Tidal Power Initiative: Environmental Impact Protocols for Tidal Power

As a result of ongoing climate change, the pressure for the development of new sources of renewable energy has increased. It is extremely likely that climate change is caused by anthropogenic activities. Thus even if dramatic gains are made in energy efficiency; the addition of novel renewable energy sources is critical to reducing fossil fuel emissions. Even current goals for a reduction in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions mean that all possible low-carbon or non-carbon emitting energy sources be considered. In the marine environment, energy in tidal currents, waves, and thermal structure may be extracted to produce electricity. These energy sources are a critical element in the overall renewable portfolio since, unlike wind and solar energy, both marine thermal and tidal energy are reliable additions to the overall electrical grid. In the case of tidal energy, the contribution of periodic but reliable sources of renewable energy becomes increasingly critical as wind and solar penetration in the grid increase. In a high renewable energy penetration grid, a resource like tidal energy does not provide the same base load capacity as, for example, a nuclear power plant. However, tidal energy can have the effect of reducing the size of either storage or peaking capacity that is required for grid stability by providing power for recovery of dispatchable loads. However, as an immature technology, significant questions remain regarding basic questions like the scale of the potential resource, the impact on sediment transport, the effects on fish populations and communities, and the ability to design a system which is acceptable by the people in the associated communities. The objectives of the funded project were to examine tidal power development in Maine from all perspectives: engineering, resource assessment, biological effects, and social dimensions. Resource and environmental research focused on data collection for the Cobscook Bay/Western Passage, possibly the most viable commercial tidal energy site in the US, tidal power sites along with initial evaluation of the suitability of the approach for at least two other tidal development sites in Maine. Concomitantly, alternative energy research is used as a basis of education for a number of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Maine and Maine Maritime Academy. The Maine Tidal Power Initiative has developed resource and environmental assessment protocols in conjunction with the deployment of a specific marine hydrokinetic device. The protocols are transferrable throughout Maine and the US to evaluate tidal energy resources and better understand the potential impact of this development on the environment. Again, site-specific social science and environmental research focused on the Cobscook Bay/Western Passage area near Eastport Maine. The protocols and methods developed at these sites have also been used to perform initial scoping reviews of locations in Castine Harbor and Wiscasset, Maine that represent a more modest and more typical small scale energy resource. Specific barrier issues which have been addressed for the industry are technologies and protocols for measuring and modeling tidal flows, responses of fishes to those flows, and people interacting in these environments. Measuring tidal flows is critical to the key economic driver for this industry, the size of the potential resource. The second barrier issue is the need for methods for measuring the impact of marine hydrokinetic (MHK) devices on fish. Acoustic methods have been used with ground truth validation from trawls. The protocols developed in this project have already had a significant impact on the approach that has been taken at other sites. Finally the assessment of the human community response to these technologies and impact on community cohesion and participation is perhaps the largest single barrier to the acceptance of the projects. This work also has the potential to be replicated at other sites, although in both the case of the environmental effects and the social response to these projects, details of the species impacted and the economic and social environment are the ultimate determinants of impact and acceptance. The technology focus for most of this work has been the cross-flow turbine developed by Ocean Renewable Power Company. Testing in the University of Maine tow tank has allowed a large design space to be explored for the optimization of the commercial turbine design. The design code developed for the project was validated using this data set. Both the design code and the data will be placed in a public repository. The most important outcome of the turbine design portion of the work is some general design parameters that can be used to assist in the site assessment and for benchmarking of proprietary designs. The design as well as the data is available for resource assessment and design comparisons. The appeal of this turbine design is that the potential exists for a low solidity turbine with lower tip speed ratios, which will have good performance. The low solidity and tip speed ratio is likely to reduce the risk of fish impacts and thus reduce environmental impact and community resistance to these technologies. The need for low carbon energy sources is undeniable. Resistance to large-scale renewable energy development also continues to increase. The overall approach to this project, where the design of the system considers environmental impacts and social acceptance from the initial engineering design stages and continues with an adaptive management scheme, is the only option for addressing energy needs at the scale required

Improving Energy Efficiency through Data-Driven Modeling, Simulation and Optimization

In October 2014, the EU leaders agreed upon three key targets for the year 2030: a reduction by at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions, savings of at least 27% for renewable energy, and improvements by at least 27% in energy efficiency. The increase in computational power combined with advanced modeling and simulation tools makes it possible to derive new technological solutions that can enhance the energy efficiency of systems and that can reduce the ecological footprint. This book compiles 10 novel research works from a Special Issue that was focused on data-driven approaches, machine learning, or artificial intelligence for the modeling, simulation, and optimization of energy systems

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2002

Topics include: a technology focus sensors, software, electronic components and systems, materials, mechanics, machinery/automation, manufacturing, bio-medical, physical sciences, information sciences, book and reports, and a special section of Photonics Tech Briefs

Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound: Volume 1

This open-access book empowers its readers to explore the acoustic world of animals. By listening to the sounds of nature, we can study animal behavior, distribution, and demographics; their habitat characteristics and needs; and the effects of noise. Sound recording is an efficient and affordable tool, independent of daylight and weather; and recorders may be left in place for many months at a time, continuously collecting data on animals and their environment. This book builds the skills and knowledge necessary to collect and interpret acoustic data from terrestrial and marine environments. Beginning with a history of sound recording, the chapters provide an overview of off-the-shelf recording equipment and analysis tools (including automated signal detectors and statistical methods); audiometric methods; acoustic terminology, quantities, and units; sound propagation in air and under water; soundscapes of terrestrial and marine habitats; animal acoustic and vibrational communication; echolocation; and the effects of noise. This book will be useful to students and researchers of animal ecology who wish to add acoustics to their toolbox, as well as to environmental managers in industry and government

NASA Tech Briefs, July 1993

Topics include: Data Acquisition and Analysis: Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences

Advances in Image Processing, Analysis and Recognition Technology

For many decades, researchers have been trying to make computers’ analysis of images as effective as the system of human vision is. For this purpose, many algorithms and systems have previously been created. The whole process covers various stages, including image processing, representation and recognition. The results of this work can be applied to many computer-assisted areas of everyday life. They improve particular activities and provide handy tools, which are sometimes only for entertainment, but quite often, they significantly increase our safety. In fact, the practical implementation of image processing algorithms is particularly wide. Moreover, the rapid growth of computational complexity and computer efficiency has allowed for the development of more sophisticated and effective algorithms and tools. Although significant progress has been made so far, many issues still remain, resulting in the need for the development of novel approaches