Chris Gerdes, “Who Will Be Driving on the Highway of the Future?”

Watch, learn and connect: https://stanfordconnects.stanford.edu/
Sharing some of the exciting work happening at Stanford around self-driving cars, Professor Chris Gerdes highlights the student-built P1 vehicle and Shelley, an Audi TTS. He emphasizes the importance of safety and the role of the “big red button” as well as issues around ethics — are self driving vehicles cars, or robots?

Chris Gerdes is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and the director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS). His research interests include vehicle dynamics, the design of driver assistance systems, control of autonomous vehicles and the measurement of brain activity while driving. His lab developed autonomous racing and drifting algorithms to enable Shelley, an Audi TT-S, to race up Pikes Peak without a driver. Professor Gerdes is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in recognition for his work with driver assistance systems.

This Stanford+Connects micro lecture was filmed on location in Pasadena, California. Stanford+Connects is a program of the Stanford Alumni Association.