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Browsing by Author "Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Automated Truck Mounted Attenuator: Phase 2 Performance Measurement and Testing
    Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo; Mollenhauer, Michael A.; White, Elizabeth E.; Vaughn, Elijah W. (Safe-D University Transportation Center, 2023-12)
    Truck-Mounted Attenuators (TMAs) are energy-absorbing devices added to heavy shadow vehicles to provide a mobile barrier that protects work crews from errant vehicles entering active work zones. In mobile and short duration operations, drivers manually operate the TMA, keeping pace with the work zone as needed to function as a mobile barrier protecting work crews. While the TMA is designed to absorb and/or redirect the energy from a colliding vehicle, there is still significant risk of injury to the TMA driver when struck. TMA crashes are a serious problem in Virginia, where they have increased each year from 2011 (17 crashes) to 2014 (45 crashes), despite a decrease in the number of active construction sites between 2013 and 2014. Although various efforts have been made to improve TMA vehicle crashworthiness (e.g., by adding interior padding, harnesses, and supplemental head restraints), the most effective way to protect TMA drivers may be to remove them from the vehicle altogether. Recent advances in automated vehicle technologies—including advanced sensing, high-precision differential GPS, inertial sensing, advanced control algorithms, and machine learning—have enabled the development of automated systems capable of controlling TMA vehicles. Furthermore, the relatively low operating speeds and platoon-like operating movements of leader-follower TMA systems make an automated control concept feasible for a variety of mobile and short-duration TMA use cases without the cost or complexity of full autonomy. This project seeks to develop an automated control system for TMA vehicles using a short following distance, leader-follower control concept which will remove the driver from the at-risk TMA.
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    An Evaluation of Road User Interactions with E-Scooters
    Hong, Yubin; Klauer, Charlie; Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo; Miles, Melissa (SAFE-D: Safety Through Disruption National University Transportation Center, 2022-06)
    Electric scooters (e-scooters) are gaining in popularity due to their availability, accessibility, and low cost. However, there has been little research on how e-scooters behave on the road and interact with other road users. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, teaming with State Farm, conducted an observational study on the Virginia Tech campus. Video data were gathered through instrumented fixed cameras located at various intersections and high-volume pedestrian areas. The analysis focused on times with a high volume of e-scooter riders, which was the period from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A total of 492 e-scooter trips were recorded, and 473 of those were analyzed. The analysis showed that e-scooters pose the most threat to pedestrians due to their higher speed and the greater vulnerability of pedestrians. The results also showed that the e-scooter riders adjusted their operation rules based on the traffic environment. These results suggest that it might be safer for e-scooters to be operated on designated lanes, bike lanes, or roadways with a speed limit of 25 mph or less. Additional countermeasures to separate e-scooter traffic from vehicles may be required on roadways with faster speed limits. Further research is needed to confirm these recommendations.
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    Infrastructure-Based Performance Evaluation for Low-Speed Automated Vehicle (LSAV)
    Klauer, Charlie; Hong, Yubin; Mollenhauer, Michael A.; Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo (MDPI, 2023-05-05)
    This study assessed the limitations of the EasyMile EZ10 Gen 3 low-speed automated vehicle (LSAV) while operating on public roadways. The primary interest was to evaluate the infrastructure elements that posed the greatest challenges for the LSAV. A route was chosen that would satisfy a legitimate transit need. This route included more operational complexity and higher traffic volumes than a typical EasyMile LSAV deployment. The results indicate that the LSAV operated at a lower-than-expected speed (6 to 8 mph), with a high frequency of disengagements, and a regular need for safety operator intervention. Four-way stop-sign controlled intersections, three-lane roads with a shared turning lane in the middle, open areas, and areas without clear markings were the most challenging for the LSAV. Some important considerations include the need to have LSAVs operate on roadways where other vehicles may pass more safely, or on streets with slower posted speed limits. Additionally, the low passenger capacity and inability to understand where passengers are located onboard make it hard for the LSAV to replace bus transits. Currently, the LSAV is best suited to provide first/last-mile services, short routes within a controlled access area, and fill in gaps in conventional transits.
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    Introduction to Communications in Transportation
    Mollenhauer, Michael A.; Robinson, Sarah; Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo; Vaughn, Will (Safe-D National UTC, 2022-10)
    As new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology and protocols continue to emerge, additional training is needed for personnel working in the transportation sector. The Virginia Department of Transportation has already created a training program focusing on general topics pertaining to connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) and has recently identified a need for a more specific program focusing on communication technologies. To address this need, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute team developed a 60-minute online learning program that includes a series of 10 narrated modules with slides, images, charts, videos, and learning assessments. The training provides a high-level overview of the types of communications that support ITS, traffic management, and connected vehicle environments. The training includes descriptions of the communication technologies, protocols, performance metrics, use cases, and data security. The included communication technologies are currently being utilized by infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and industry technology providers.
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    Private 5G Technology and Implementation Testing
    Vilela, Jean Paul Talledo; Mollenhauer, Michael A.; White, Elizabeth E.; Miller, Marty (Safe-D National UTC, 2023-03)
    NEC developed a Video Analytics implementation for traffic intersections using 5G technology. This implementation included both hardware infrastructure and software applications supporting 5G communications, which allows low latency and secure communications. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) worked with NEC to facilitate the usage of a 3,400- to 3,500-MHz program experimental license band without SAS integration to successfully implement a private 5G deployment at the VTTI Smart Road intersection and data center. Specific use cases were developed to provide alerting mechanisms to both pedestrians and vehicles using cellular vehicle-to-everything/PC5 technology when approaching a traffic intersection and a dangerous situation is detected.