Principal investigator: Xianbiao Hu
University: Pennsylvania State University
Industry partner: Royal Truck & Equipment Inc.
Founded in 1982, Royal Truck & Equipment is the nation's largest manufacturer of Attenuator Trucks and home of the world's first Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) truck. ATMA is a Level 3 compliant leader-follower autonomous vehicle system that has been adopted nationwide to remove DOT workers from maintenance trucks to reduce fatalities at work zone locations. This proposal aims to enhance the resiliency of the ATMA vehicle system, especially in GPS-denied locations where the localization and perception capabilities of the system are challenged. This proposal leverages the unique research facilities that are currently available at Penn State, including a full-scale test track that is designated as one of 10 USDOT autonomous vehicle proving ground and a full-sized autonomous vehicle that is operated by the PI’s lab. The proposed work can be directly applied to enhance the capability of Royal’s ATMA vehicle system.