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Driverless Trans Part of DOT Budget Battle

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Burney Simpson

Driverless transportation came to the fore last week as Congress considered President Obama’s 2016 budget request for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Proponents took the fight to voters, traveling out of Washington to convince the public to support the $95 billion proposal.

As part of that Obama asked Congress for $935 million over six years for the line item on autonomous driving technology called ‘Intelligent Transportation Systems & Automation Research Acceleration,’ (see pages 6 and 10 in this DOT Budget Highlights pdf).

DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx went to Silicon Valley last week, appearing at Delphi Labs in Mountain View, Calif., and arguing for his Beyond Traffic 2045 concept first launched in February.

Foxx pushed for greater road-related communication infrastructure, including requiring vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication in all new cars. Foxx said he plans to send the rule request to federal regulators before the end of this year, speeding up the rule-making process from his previous plan.

The DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working with the Federal Communication Commission to test dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) standards in the 5.9GHz spectrum. The wireless protocols are used for V2V and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications.

It’s not clear if driverless technology is a headline grabber that encourages voters to contact their elected officials to get behind the proposed budget. In the 1980s President Ronald Reagan drew widespread public backing for funding of his ‘Star Wars’ weapons shield in space that he said would protect America from nuclear rockets sent from the Soviet Union.

STATE INFRASTRUCTURE

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, construction unions joined with former Gov. Ed Rendell to publicize funding requests for transportation and infrastructure. The unions would like to raise the state gas tax to pay for the repair and construction of roads and bridges. Proponents say the gas tax was last increased in 1994.

Other states are raising their gas tax. Iowa implemented an increase in March, its first since 1984, and last week the Nebraska legislature overrode the governor’s veto to enact an increase that will start next year.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review contends that giant transportation projects will only be completed if leaders build collaboration among a mix of supporters. In ‘Too Many Infrastructure Projects go it Alone’ author Rosabeth Moss Kanter writes,

“Systemic problems that affect everyone but are beyond the ability of any one person to solve require collaboration skills. To renew and reinvent our aging transportation infrastructure, we must turn our attention to coalition-building. Classic leadership lessons apply.

To create the conditions that support innovation, leaders need to build connections across companies, industries, and sectors.”

Kanter points to a number of successful collaborative projects including the 32-acre M City autonomous-vehicle test bed set to officially open this July in Ann Arbor, Mich. That project grew in part due to the coming together of major automakers, Google, the University of Michigan, the state DOT, and other interested parties, Kanter writes.

EnlightenMap2

Connected Vehicle App Targets Distracted Driving

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Burney Simpson

A new smartphone app is growing in popularity because it is designed to help drivers pay attention to driving, a concept that apparently has taken on revolutionary overtones in America.

The EnLighten app from Connected Signals is available for Android and iPhone smartphones.

EnLighten gives drivers at red lights a chiming alert a second or two before a light changes from red to green. The chime is designed to tell the driver it is time to drive the vehicle instead of texting, searching the web, watching a movie, yelling at the kids, eating, focusing on a podcast, or gawking at that hot babe in the vehicle across the lane.

Walnut Creek, Calif., began using the app last week, and its proponents say it works with all 100 of the city’s traffic lights, which are linked to a city traffic control center.

Eugene, Ore.-based Connected Signals says its uses existing communications infrastructure of traffic controllers and vehicles, and combines that with mapping and speed limit information for an area.

That allows EnLighten to review traffic light timing and predict when a light will change.

Connected Signals argues on its website that its technology connects vehicles and traffic infrastructure at “negligible startup and infrastructure costs,” in comparison with U.S. Department of Transportation plans to spend millions to do the same thing with Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) hardware.

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the folks behind the 5,000-acre autonomous vehicle testing grounds in Concord, Calif., contributed to the new launch, along with the city of Walnut Creek, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and Connected Signals.

Connected Signals says its technology is live in Eugene and Portland, Ore., much of Utah, and in Christchurch, New Zealand. Palo Alto, Calif., is scheduled to go live with it this summer. EnLighten is also available for BMW Apps in Eugene and Portland.

Graphic of Portland, Ore., traffic signals from Connected Signals.

Connectedurban1

FTC Reports on Security, Connected Vehicles and the IoT

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Burney Simpson

Connected vehicles are part of a new report from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission focusing on safeguarding privacy and security of the growing number of business and consumers that use the Internet of Things (IoT).

Connected vehicles have become an important part of the IoT as auto manufacturers integrate autonomous driving technology that uses the Internet for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications. Connected vehicle technology offers more efficient, safer driving, and has drawn the attention of fleet operators, trucking firms, insurance companies, consumers and many others.

Other major industries impacted by the IoT include healthcare, housing, and energy.

The FTC report “internet of things: Privacy & Security in a Connected World” explains that potential security risks arising from the IoT include the unauthorized access and misuse of personal information, attacks on other systems, and risks to personal safety. Privacy risks “may flow from the collection of personal information, habits, locations, and physical conditions over time.” A PDF of the report is available.

Despite these dangers, the FTC has decided that IoT-specific legislation is not needed at this time, but that industries should consider creating self-regulatory programs designed to encourage the adoption of privacy- and security-sensitive practices.

The FTC has defined the IoT as “devices or sensors – other than computers, smartphones, or tablets – that connect, store or transmit information with or between each other via the Internet.”

The report is limited to IoT devices sold to or used by consumers. It is based on the FTC’s Internet of Things workshop held in Washington, D.C. in November, 2013, and on public comments following the workshop.

The FTC also released a new reference guide on privacy and security for businesses that develop communications-oriented technology designed to become a part of the IoT. “Careful Connections: Building Security in the Internet of Things” offers a brief approach to building products and services for the IoT that include proper authentication, security measures, and well-thought-out default settings. Careful Connections is available as a free download.

In a checklist for developers, the FTC recommends they design their products with authentication in mind, protect the interfaces between their product and other devices or services, consider how to limit permissions, take advantage of readily available security tools, test the security measures before launching the product, and selecting the secure choice as your default setting.

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Connected Vehicles — 250 Million by 2020

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Burney Simpson

There could be as many as 250 million connected vehicles on roads worldwide by 2020, impacting telematics, automated driving, infotainment, and mobility services, according to the research firm Gartner Inc.

There are nearly 5 billion connected things in use globally today, and that should grow to reach 25 billion by 2020, according to the Gartner report “Predicts 2015: The Internet of Things.” At that time, about one in five vehicles will have some form of a wireless network, putting the auto industry right in the center of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the next few years.

“The connected car is already a reality, and in-vehicle wireless connectivity is rapidly expanding from luxury models and premium brands, to high-volume midmarket models,” James F. Hines, research director at Gartner, said in a release. “The increased consumption and creation of digital content within the vehicle will drive the need for more sophisticated infotainment systems, creating opportunities for application processors, graphics accelerators, displays and human-machine interface technologies.”

Businesses that are now working to integrate their technology into a global IoT are challenged because there is no uniform technical models for the IoT and no dominant technology service providers.

“Many standards and ecosystems for the IoT are still in development and some of the vendors and ecosystems may fail during the working lifetime of current IoT projects,” Alfonso Velosa, research director at Gartner, said in a statement. “CIOs will need to ensure their prime system integrator has a strategy to future-proof their project. This is especially critical if the project involves infrastructure that may be in the field for decades. A gateway-based architecture will be a key approach to future-proofing IoT projects.”

More detailed analysis is available to Gartner clients.

University of Pennsylvania UPenn

What this ‘Impact’ Specialist says about Autonomous Transportation

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Darcy Conlin

Hayeri

Yeganeh Mashayekh Hayeri, Ph.D.

This featured article takes a look at some of the work going on in Pennsylvania in conjunction with University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Yeganeh Mashayekh Hayeri is a post-doctorate research fellow at UPenn who works with the GRASP lab (General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception). She was a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) with USDOT T-SET UTC (Technologies for Safe and Efficient Transportation). Hayeri’s projects are funded by UTC.

We frequently hear about what is happening within the driverless industry in states like California and Nevada. Hayeri has experience working in both of these states but now finds herself in Pennsylvania.

The juxtaposition between geography is just one of the challenges that needs to be sorted out within this industry. Hayeri is working to help educate people about the overall impact that the evolving autonomous industry will have on our transportation system. This emerging technology is creating a paradigm shift in the way we think about issues relating to transportation regardless of what coast you live on, or whether you are north or south of the Mason-Dixon line.

There is a lot going on in Pennsylvania. Let’s start by acknowledging that last November, CMU celebrated the 30th birthday of self-driving car technology and has touted itself as the birthplace of self-driving cars. That’s right – Pennsylvania, not Mountain View, Calif.

Also, the GRASP lab where Hayeri finds herself these days is a vital and cooperative environment fostering interaction between students, research staff and faculty. GRASP is a $10-million research center founded in 1979 and, according to Hayeri, is exactly what you would think from the acronym. There are all kinds of things happening in robotics, automation and perception — all necessary concepts for research related to automated transportation systems.

One of the recent projects Hayeri worked on was the “Connected and Autonomous Vehicles - 2040 Vision” project with PennDOT. This one-year visionary project examined the impact that these new technologies would have on the state’s investment decisions, infrastructure, workforce training, driver licensing, and communications systems. Concluding this past July, the project took a high-level qualitative analysis of various impacts from these technologies.

With the focus on Pittsburgh, one of the short-term action items was to allocate funding for and identify key locations for dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) and roadside equipment deployment. Between 2016 and 2020 the project proposes early, small-scale deployment of vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) applications at these key locations. The longer-term plans include working with local and state educational institutions to enhance workforce training, along with tailoring certain features to the trucking industry. This graPennDot Actionsphic spells out the proposed actions arising from the project.

 

Fundamentally, all DOTs want to create a sustainable transportation system that will prepare them for the future. By working with PennDOT, Hayeri hopes to bridge the gap between collaborating with local communities and educating both state planners and locals on individual needs and concerns.

 

Her latest project, while still within the automated transportation world, has a bit of a twist to it.

With the help of UPenn’s Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Hayeri and her colleagues are modeling human behavior while driving using inverse reinforcement learning techniques. In simple terms, reinforcement learning looks at the behavior of an agent (the driver), his utility and reward functions, and his actions in an environment.

Hayeri chose traffic engineering as a career because she is fascinated by human psychology and its impact on traffic operations and planning, something she believes has been missing from much of the previous models and theories. While staying present behind the wheel has always been crucial, driver distraction today has reached saturation.

With inverse reinforcement learning techniques the hope is to evaluate enforced policies, like speed limit rules, and their effectiveness. What type of a reward function drivers use to make driving decisions is the key element to Hayeri’s current research. Her goal is to understand how people set up these reward functions internally and how they react.

According to Hayeri, “The goal is to gauge the effectiveness of a policy or a combination of policies by modeling humans’ behavior and examining the patterns. This research should assist decision and policy makers to set informed and effective policies as we enter the automated transportation era.”

There are many challenges ahead. One is the legislative policy toward autonomous transportation and driving that each state DOT, along with the US DOT, will need to work out. The new regulations and their enforcement, and the interaction between the states and the federal government in policing this technology, will all have to be determined. Then there is the challenge of states in different regions and how they will address difficult weather such as snow and fog.

Behaviorally there are questions about how drivers of automated vehicles will interact with automated features, and how drivers of conventional vehicles will interact with driverless vehicles.

Hayeri is passionate about contemplating ways to bridge the gap between our traditional way of thinking about transportation, and transitioning to the future with connected and autonomous vehicles. Looking at current human behavior and what people’s perceptions of autonomous vehicles are is a necessary task. The differences in individuals, what they are willing to accept and how quickly they can change their current patterns of behavior will all have an impact on how this will evolve.

In her own words, Hayeri thinks of herself as an “impact specialist,” and is wondering if, as a culture, we are ready to let go of our cars – a question she is not alone in contemplating. We look forward to seeing what else comes down the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Arada-Locomate-Mirror

Arada Launches Rearview Mirror With DSRC

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Burney Simpson

Arada Systems has added two products to its Locomate series of dedicated short range communication (DSRC) devices for vehicles. The Locomate Mirror is a rearview mirror running Android with integrated DSRC, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular and backup camera. The Locomate Roof is a DSRC device that can be placed on a vehicle’s roof and powered with a USB.

 

Arada’s automotive group develops vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology designed to assist the auto industry as it works to meet the V2V communications rules that will be determined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

 

Arada released the products in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show (NAAIS) running at the Cobo Center in Detroit from January 12-25. Arada is one of 40 exhibitors taking part in the NAIAS’ Technology Showcase.

 

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Arada markets 10 Locomate products that promote vehicle safety with wireless V2V communications. Videos can be viewed here.

TRB

Intelligent Traffic Signal Project Uses Connected Vehicles

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Burney Simpson

Researchers at the University of Arizona are exploring an intelligent traffic control system that puts a priority on certain connected vehicles and includes a pedestrian smartphone application for the blind, according to a presentation this week at the Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

 

The Multi Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) is designed to review such concepts as queue warning, speed harmonization, cooperative-adaptive cruise control, and eco-driving, according to K. Larry Head, associate professor at the university’s College of Engineering, Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering, a leader on the project.

Head said that the project’s objective is to develop a comprehensive traffic signal system that serves multiple modes of transportation including passenger vehicles, transit, emergency vehicles, freight fleets (trucks), and pedestrians.

 

Along with Head’s group, contributors to the technical aspect of the project include the University of California Berkeley, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), and the firms Savari Networks and Econolite.

The MMITSS is using real-time performance measure to review data on traffic volume, delays, throughput and stops in two sections of a four-way intersection. Each section has its own priority in types of traffic, and a priority hierarchy for vehicles. The priority for Section 1 is trucks, and the priority hierarchy is rail crossings, emergency vehicles, trucks, passenger vehicles, transit, and pedestrians. Sections 2’s priority is transit and pedestrians, and its priority hierarchy is rail crossings, emergency vehicles, transit, pedestrians, passenger vehicles, and trucks.

 

The vehicles in the project have connected vehicle equipment and an aftermarket safety device on board. Communications between the vehicles and the connected infrastructure roadside equipment (RSE) is done with Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) 5.9 GHz radio equipment. A basic safety message (BSM) is broadcast 10 times a second between vehicles and the infrastructure equipment.

 

The pedestrian smartphone app is designed to give the user auditory and haptic feedback that allows them to align with the crosswalk, send a call for service, be given a walk signal, and to understand the countdown to a signal change. Haptic refers to tactile technology that recreates the sense of touch with vibrations, motions or forces.

 

Funding for the project is provided by the Federal Highway Administration, along with the departments of transportation of the states of Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia and of Maricopa (Ariz.) County, and CALTRANS.

Crystal Ball

Short Term Predictions

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Darcy Conlin

Driverless cars are sure to revolutionize society as we know it. We at DriverlessTransportation.com are excited about the changes that will come from this new technology, and we believe that nearly every single person’s life will be impacted by this technology.

It’s particularly interesting to actually envision a world without drivers. What will it look like? What will it sound like? How will my everyday routine change? In addition, it’s interesting to think about the trajectory of this industry as a whole, and what will happen with time. At the bottom half of this page you will find what we thought might happen a year ago and the actual results.

As far as where we stand today, we wanted to again make our own predictions about what we see happening in the next year (or so). These are listed below. We cast short-term predictions about the technology, the business, the societal impact, and the legal ramifications that come with the introduction of driverless transportation.

If you’re interested, leave a comment with your own predictions. We’ll look back around this time next year and evaluate the outcomes.

Rick:

  1. There will be a sanctioned race between driverless cars on a closed racetrack where the winning average speed will be greater than 100 mph.
  2. DSRC Radio vendors will offer complete chip sets at quantities or 1MM plus for less than $25/unit
  3. The number of “test” cars with DSCR Radios broadcasting Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) in the US will be greater than 25,000 by the end of 2015

John:

  1. There will be actual platooning done with commercial vehicles. This will be on actual roads and not just test cases.
  2. A commercial company will announce a pilot program to begin in 2016 using driverless cars with real customers on regular roads.
  3. Microsoft or Apple will announce a new program, in conjunction with an Automotive OEM, to begin building a driverless car.

Manuel:

  1. Driverless technology knock offs will come out of China.
  2. Government legislation will be passed to control testing of driverless technologies prior to roll out.
  3. Cyber vulnerabilities will be discovered in existing SCATA systems (charging stations, update platforms).

Burney:

  1. I will attend a major transportation show and report on the event for Driverless Transportation.
  2. Google will partner with an international auto manufacturer in 2015 to advance driverless technology.
  3. The D20 Stock Index will top 150 before the end of the second quarter of 2015.

Collin:

  1. The 2015 Detroit Auto show will be looked back on as a pivotal moment for the development and acceptance of driverless cars/transport
  2. An “A-list” celebrity will publicly endorse driverless transportation on twitter or other social media causing a spike in interest
  3. This year’s superbowl will feature driverless transportation of some sort on the field during warm-ups/pre-game

Stephen:

  1. A major planned development including all driverless vehicles will be announced — but not in the United States. (My money is on UAE, but don’t count out Qatar, Kuwait, South Korea, or China.) Google will not be the technology partner.
  2. Driverless cars will push further into mainstream consciousness with an appearance on The Simpsons or Family Guy.
  3. Carnegie Mellon’s CHIMP team will win the DARPA Robotics Challenge in Pomona, CA this June. In the course of victory, CHIMP will become the first robot to drive a vehicle.

Giselle:

  1. Toyota will change it’s mind and will start developing autonomous vehicles
  2. Mercedes’ driverless cars will be more popular than Google’s because they will still be made with a steering wheel and pedals
  3. “Robo-ethics” will slow the progress of driverless transportation. For example, when faced with a dangerous collision, should the autonomous car be programmed to act in a way that will save it’s passenger(s) or to save as many lives as possible even if this means killing it’s own passenger(s)?

Amy:

  1. At least 4 other states will allow driverless cars on their roads.
  2. BMW takes their parking assist technology to the next level with a fully self-driving vehicle in the U.S.
  3. Google designs a more practical, advanced driverless prototype.

Darcy:

  1. Iowa along with one additional state will pass a bill allowing driverless vehicles on roads.
  2. USDOT will standardize the screen size display of communication platforms within AVs.
  3. Obama and First Lady Michelle will drive in an autonomous vehicle.

looking-back

 

 

 

At the end of 2013, each member of the team listed a set of predictions for the coming year. Here they are again and an analysis of how we did.

Rick: Total score: 0.5.

  1. Google hits a Million Miles on its driverless fleet. - Probably close but not quite.

In April Google announced 700,000 miles on its cars. August, 2012 announced 300,000. Which means they were on a 20k per month pace. Probably have more vehicles but have been concentrating more on in-town driving (which means less miles). Have to say no to this one.

  1. Tesla announces a schedule for driverless vehicle before 2018. -

Depends on how tightly we define this.   Give 1/2.

  1. One of the major Automakers (other than Toyota) announces a significant Partnership with Google.

Not for driverless. No points

John: Total Points: 1.5

  1. A driverless car will have an accident.

Based upon this article, John tried to argue Yes but we’re not going to give him the points - Zero points.

  1. A bill to allow driverless cars will be initiated in Virginia (and 3 other states).

He shouldn’t have said Virginia. But a number of other states such as Maryland, New Jersey and Louisiana have initiated bills. 1/2 point.

  1. Tesla and Google will announce that they are working together.

Didn’t happen - No Points.

  1. I will ride in a driverless car.John Estrada in Driverless Vehicle

Did happen. We even have a picture.

 

Manuel: Total score: 1.5 points.

  1. Major players in driverless technologies will turn to military contractors to harden and protect their systems from cyber attacks.

The industry didn’t move far enough for this. Zero points.

  1. Government legislation will step in again and fund the automotive industry supporting driverless transportation citing employment (job development) as its primary goal.

Haven’t see the job development but there is major funding. 1/2 point.

  1. One of the major computing hardware companies will develop a new system of systems backplane allowing the automotive industry to standardize how driverless technologies will be implemented.

We are seeing this the basics of this from both NVIDIA and Harbrick. 1 point.

  1. Legislation will be passed that endorses and legalizes only one of the driverless technologies.

This didn’t happen - 0.

Shawn: Total score: 1 point.

  1. Two driverless cars will crash and the occupants will want to sue. This will spark a public legal issue of who is liable when no one is driving. - Was a bit premature for this.
  2. An article on Driverless Transportation will make the front page of the Washington Post and/or a segment on 60 Minutes. Did happen.
  3. I will see someone riding in a driverless car at Stanford.

Didn’t happen. Perhaps Shawn should have gotten off campus more.

Guess it paid to give 4 predictions!   This year we limited it to 3 per person.

 

 

Utah State University

Cyber Security and Vehicle Communications

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Darcy Conlin

This is our second article highlighting the work being done at Utah State University under Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Ryan Gerdes. Our previous article introduced the platooning research and testing that is currently underway at USU. This article will take a closer look at the electronic communication within a vehicle and between vehicles. We were able to sit in on a discussion with Professor Gerdes and eTrans Chief Security Office Manuel Villar. The two shared their experience, concern and hopes in moving forward with the development of secure electronic communications among our future vehicles. While isolated vehicles are noteworthy from a security perspective, what is more intriguing to these two gentlemen is when you have a group of vehicles that are interacting together.

There is a growing need for our automobile manufacturers to be in sync with cyber security experts to develop safe and secure vehicle communications. Electronics were slowly introduced over the first 100 years of the automobile’s existence to make our cars run better and improve our own personal comfort, but the systems worked independently. Then in 1980, GM introduced a data communication link from one electronic module to another within the Cadillac [1]. The link was one wire, point to point, linking the engine control module to the fuel data panel[2]. Thus began the intricate communications system that interconnects electronic components inside a vehicle. The term for this specialized network is a CAN bus.

As background, CAN (also referred to as CANbus or CAN bus) is a network used in every-day products consisting of multiple microcontrollers that need to communicate with each other[3]. Robert Bosch originally created CAN in 1986. The CAN data link layer protocol is the communication system you will find in most passenger vehicle control systems. Click here to read more about CAN from CiA (CAN in Automation). CAN is implemented in hardware in the microcontrollers of about 25 chip manufacturers[4]. The BMW 850 coupe is noted as the first CAN Bus vehicle to enter the market in 1986.

Before CAN bus

Before CAN bus

After CAN bus

After CAN bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Villar and Gerdes agree that CAN is not designed with any inherent security. Through their eyes, it has been surprising to see the type of information that was going across these buses and the fact that it wasn’t segmented. For example, the infotainment system of a vehicle was on the same bus as the engine control. In Gerdes’ words “there’s no confidentiality, no integrity and no assurance here.” Researchers have found that by reverse engineering they can easily gain access to this surplus of electronic communication. And when someone has access to that information, they have access to control those parts of the vehicle, for example, to turn the engine off. BAM! This has the potential for obvious problems.

When vehicles were isolated systems, this wasn’t much of an issue. However, as vehicles become more connected whether through infotainment systems, Bluetooth connections or the DSRC safety systems the government is planning to mandate, controlling access to and securing the electronics in the vehicle becomes much more important. In addition, Professor Gerdes believes that in order to increase safety on our roads we’re going to need to get vehicles traveling closer together, or platooning. Unless we’re going to build more roads and better drivers (which doesn’t seem very likely, at least until we get driverless vehicles), we need to make platooning a reality so that a greater number of vehicles can take up the road with the existing infrastructure.

In order for vehicles to travel safely together in a platoon, they need to talk to each other. That talking includes sharing some digital information. As we’ve noted, connected vehicles represent a security concern. This is where a public key infrastructure (PKI) comes into play. A PKI involves a set of hardware, software, policies and standards that are required to create, manage and distribute digital certificates. The digital passing - - and parsing - - of all connected vehicle (CV) information requires a trustworthy PKI. Mr. Villar recognized that plenty of security and technology experts are trying to develop the PKI for CV’s with low bandwidth. However, with so many keys out on the infrastructure that may be unrealistic.

Gerdes agreed. He added that this is the reason that part of his research work is to enable peer-to-peer security[5]. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application. Within this P2P, a secure key exchange needs to be created. Gerdes states, “We have some ideas for both key generation and the exchange between vehicles that are traveling together in a group. They don’t require trust and infrastructure since your establishing keys within a group of vehicles surrounding you. We want to be sure that the protocols are resistant to a super majority of attackers at any one time.”

This P2P system is both hardware and software. Gerdes says that given the way radios are built today, they may not require a modification. It would make use of physical layer security, hardware security, as well as some traditional network security.

Villar: Do you see this residing on the communication layer or on the CAN bus itself?

Gerdes: It would have to talk to the CAN bus because it needs to tell other components, “I’m not going to forward you a message from this radio.” But it would actually be contained within the radio.

Villar: If you are communicating with the different systems on the bus, how do you not flood the CAN bus with messages that could potentially effect the time of response for life safety systems?

Gerdes: I don’t advocate using the same bus that all the other components in the vehicle are using. I’m in favor of segmenting our systems as much as possible.

The essential goal here is to build these systems to be secure from inception. No one is pointing fingers at the great engineers of our auto manufacturing companies. It is simply that these issues have not been of concern until we started discussing how to connect our vehicles and let them talk to each other. In the past our auto manufacturers didn’t have to think much about anyone gaining access to these systems except for repairs. As we begin to look into the future, that is clearly not the case. Villar concurs, “CAN is like any server or any system, if I can get my hands on it, I can own it.” Gerdes likened it to how we used to think about firewalls. “We used to think a firewall was a hard protective shell, but on the inside, since you have this hard protective shell, you just leave everything soft and really easy to break into, left completely unprotected. “

Our vehicle electronic systems are at a crossroad and our technology and automobile industries are in the middle of that intersection. It’s imperative that security research such as what Gerdes manages at USU, and the cyber security expertise that Villar possesses both continue to scrutinize these systems to ensure they are secure from the onset. Let’s keep the conversations going. Stayed tuned to Driverless Transportation as we hope to get Villar and Gerdes together again this spring out in Utah to test some of their theories.

 

 

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_bus

[2] Ronald W. Cox, Local Area Network Technology Applied to Automotive Electronics Communications, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, VOL. IE-32, No. 4, November 1985, Page 327-333

[3] http://www.canbus.us

[4] http://www.canbus.us

[5] peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or work loads between peers.

Booz Allen Hamilton

Celebrating a Century: Booz Allen - Transportation Technology Leaders

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Darcy Conlin

We continue our feature series about organizations driving automation in the industry with an informative glimpse at Booz Allen. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of this management and technology strategy consulting company based in the greater Washington DC area. Booz Allen has 80 other offices throughout the US and approximately 24,000 employees. The company has a strong and longstanding relationship advising US government clients. When it comes to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), Booz Allen has a sizeable transportation business on both the aviation and surface transportation side. Recently, Driverless Transportation had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Christopher Hill, senior associate at the company and leader of the firm’s Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) practice.

Chris Hill, Booz Allen

Chris Hill, Booz Allen

The modal administrations that are part of the USDOT include the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Booz Allen has involvement in all of these USDOT offices, as well as the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO), and additionally does work for Amtrak and the US Postal Service. Dr. Hill mentioned that right now, his company is in the process of designing the next generation of right hand drive postal vehicles. Previously Booz Allen initially designed the existing US postal carrier vehicles and now has the auspicious job of creating the next generation.

While thinking about our country’s mail trucks as a fleet of connected vehicles (CV) is interesting and potentially worthy of an article here, let’s look at Booz Allen’s work within the government organizations mentioned above to help guide our driverless future. NHTSA is responsible for setting vehicle safety standards and the FHWA provides guidance for our states in how to build and deploy infrastructure. The consultation that Booz Allen offers can hopefully put us on the right track for the future. One of the many questions that loom large with the common media is how safe will our future connected vehicles be in regards to our privacy. Below is a photo, courtesy of the USDOT, that illustrates two ways CV may work; 1) by platooning; and 2) by speed harmonizing.

“I think that really gets to the core of the connected vehicle program as we’ve seen it evolve over the past 10 years. The federal government sees that it has a very important role to play in that. If you’re going to have vehicles communicating with one another, you’ve got to have that trust environment.“ Hill said. He is confident that the government has invested heavily in the security aspect of it.

USDOT Platooning

Image courtesy of USDOT

“We need to ensure that these technologies are available in new vehicles and that they are built in a way that is interoperable and compatible with one another to make sure it fulfills that goal of allowing vehicles to communicate with one another.” Moving closer to that reality will hopefully lessen the staggering statistics in the news regarding loss of life from accidents due to human error. As humans, now we need to put our trust in the emerging technology.

Hill’s team at Booz Allen is currently working with NHTSA as they consider a rulemaking to mandate the radio technology in all vehicles. This will have a major impact on our automobile industry and how they are manufactured going forward. Booz Allen is currently developing the performance specifications for the vehicle dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) component that will ensure that the interoperability exists. This is what will allow vehicles to communicate with one another. The federal government has to play an active role in making the CV environment a reality by identifying what infrastructure is going to be required to support this system. Hill adds, “What type of national footprint, and over what period of time does that have to be deployed to ensure that connected vehicles work? That’s the public sector view and recognition of the government’s role.” This will hopefully engage car companies to continue to embrace the CV program as it will be so crucial to their customers going forward.

As the entire CV industry evolves, given their many years of experience Booz Allen’s role will likely continue to be a trusted advisor to our government. This is the same role the company has served for the last century. By continuing to provide deep technical support, the firm hopes to get into some of the specific issues associated with deployment. Hill states, “I expect us to continue to focus on that area. We have done a lot of work on strategy and management organizational issues. I would see us continuing to work in that area. As we see a nation wide system rolling out, I think there are going to be key aspects that are going to need those kind of skills.” And Booz Allen plans to continue to provide them.

However, there’s always potential for push back. Naturally, people are concerned about maintaining their privacy. And unfortunately when people don’t have all the information there becomes an assumption that you’re going to forego privacy in these kinds of large system deployments. Hill is convinced that from the very beginning the government and the carmakers of the CV program have been adamant about maintaining individual privacy. There has to be no potential of track-ability of individuals attached to the connected vehicle system. Hill states, “So far, the premise all through the research and design work that has been done is based on privacy by design. What has to be done now, as public awareness grows, is that we have to let the public know their privacy is, and will be protected.”

To that end, Dr. Hill shared that Booz Allen recently kicked off a new project for NHTSA to look at public acceptance issues. They will be conducting initial focus groups and surveys to try and understand what is it that will concern people as they hear more about the CV program roll out. Hill referred to the program as “vehicle to vehicle crash avoidance public acceptance analyses” and we hope to share those results here when they become available. Hill also noted the Federal Registers recent Request for Information seeking information and public comment regarding this issue of system security. We still have some work to do in order to allay public concerns but Hill foresees a positive outcome. “I think it’s something that can be accomplished because it’s a characteristic that’s been built in from the very beginning of the program.”

Looking back on 100 years of consulting and guidance, Booz Allen’s website states, “Edwin Booz said it best: Start with character… and fear not the future.”

And in looking up the definition of Century, we found this:

century |ˈsenCH(ə)rē|

noun (pl. centuries)

  1. a period of one hundred years: a century ago most people walked to work.

One hundred years from now, I wonder if that definition will read:

  1. a period of one hundred years: a century ago people operated cars

Stayed tuned for an additional article related to Booz Allen and the company’s continued work within our government agencies.