AI Vehicles Driving Autonomous Technology Research

Those food-delivery robots aren’t the only self-driving vehicles on the UT Dallas campus.

You might also see Voltron, an electric vehicle that looks like a cross between a golf cart and a minibus, cruising around. In the Engineering and Computer Science West building, you might get a glimpse of Super COMO, a toy-sized truck, navigating the halls.

These autonomous vehicles are part of research projects in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science to advance autonomous vehicle technology.

Voltron’s home is the lab of Dr. Justin Ruths, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. The vehicle is part of the hardware testbeds used to study the security of control systems. Ruths and his team are coordinating the network of sensors and implementing algorithms to enable the vehicle’s growing capabilities.

“All of the development of this platform has been done by undergraduates, and that makes me excited about the kinds of exposure these students are getting and the expertise we’re building,” Ruths said.

Ruths’ group also works on the theory needed to understand how to detect, quantify and mitigate attacks that could compromise the vehicle’s sensors.

Super COMO is another type of artificial intelligence (AI) vehicle, designed in the Control, Optimization, and Networks Lab run by Dr. Tyler Summers, associate professor of mechanical engineering.

UTDesign teams added sensors and an onboard computer that help the vehicles avoid collisions, drive along a line or a wall, and recognize and respond to stop signs.

– Kim Horner