The Real Case for Driverless Mobility

Alain L. Kornhauser is Professor of Operations Research and Financial Engineering and Director of the Transportation Program at Princeton University, as well as Faculty Advisor to Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE). A major portion of his professional and research focus has been centered on automated mobility systems. Starting with Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in 1971 through to his current focus on what he terms Smart Driving Cars, his contributions have been many to both the details of the technology and its broader societal implications. He has also contributed to better understanding of the broader societal implications of the technology to the mobility disadvantaged. He led the Princeton team in the 2005 DARPA Challenge and the 2007 Urban Challenge and has been the recipient of numerous awards. Michael L. Sena is an internationally recognised expert in automated and connected vehicles, digital map databases, location-based services and navigation. He has owned and run a successful consulting practice since 1983, Michael L. Sena Consulting AB, with clients in Europe, North America and Asia in the automotive, software and systems development, and location-based services database industries. From registered architect and urban planner, to developer of the first printed maps using digital data, to location-based services and navigation, Michael has had a full career in shaping both the built environment and the way we move in it. He was a founding member of the ADASIS Forum and has served on ISO and CEN standardization committees. He is the author of Beating Traffic: Time to Get Unstuck (2007), combining his experience with the dynamics of transportation and his background in urban planning and design

“…provide[s] a detailed overview of not only automated vehicles (AVs) but of the historical role of transportation in society…. [W]ritten in a style familiar to readers of their newsletters, blending engaging storytelling with trenchant technology assessments—and refreshingly free of jargon…. [O]rganized into 10 chapters, each with the same structural elements: an introduction, overview of key principles, appraisal of current conditions, future predictions, and concluding with a summary of takeaways. [Also] opens with an examination of how automobiles became the dominant mode of transportation today, which is in part a crash course in Western Civ…. Kornhauser and Sena make a provocative and thoughtful contribution to the AV discussion. The Real Case for Driverless Mobility should be required reading for anyone interested in the future of urban transportation, whether you’re an automated vehicles expert or a robo-rookie.” Marc Scribner, Senior Transportation Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation“…advocates for automated driving systems as a core component of public transportation — specifically to provide access to underserved communities. [S]ourced from Princeton University’s long-standing and highly regarded Smart Driving Cars effort, which has for years advocated the intelligent application of automated vehicles to improve equitable access for mobility disadvantaged populations…. Filled with the reasons, methods and logic of addressing transportation inequity using driverless passenger vehicles, the Kornhauser-Sena book provides the reader with the history of how we got to so many mobility-starved populations, the purpose and value of solving this issue, and a roadmap to do so.” Bern Grush, Executive Director of the Urban Robotics Foundation“…offers food for thought on safety and what is safe enough. It points out that Operational Design Domains (where, when, and under what conditions a driverless vehicle should operate) are dynamic. It provides a concise summary of the various technologies necessary for driverless. But the point of this book isn’t about the technology, [i]t is about getting to proof-of-market. One audience for this is policymakers who want to balance protecting public safety, while improving the quality of mobility options for the citizens they represent…. [W]ritten for the layman and the anecdotes make for an enjoyable read…. [Author’s] motivation is to ensure driverless technologies help those who need affordable and high-quality rides…. [A] must-reads as they provide cogent analyses of the driverless market.” Ken Pyle, Marketing Director for the Broadband Forum

• 1. Why We Have Become Dependent on Cars2. Mobility Is Not Affordable for Everyone3. Is Driverless Technology Ready for the Challenge?4. Where Driverless Cars Can Roam5. The Role of Automotive Artificial Intelligence6. The Business Proposition of Affordable Mobility7. The Making and Operating of Driverless Vehicles8. The Role of Policy Making