{"id":6126,"date":"2022-11-17T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T19:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=6126"},"modified":"2024-07-18T19:15:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T19:15:06","slug":"how-could-future-autonomous-transportation-be-accessible-to-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/Q4\/how-could-future-autonomous-transportation-be-accessible-to-everyone","title":{"rendered":"How could future autonomous transportation be accessible to everyone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —<\/p> \n

When Brad Duerstock was 18, a spinal cord injury paralyzed his arms and legs, requiring him to use what control he had left in his hands to operate a power wheelchair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Throughout the more than 30 years since, Duerstock has seen smartphones, tablets and other types of technology get developed but not become usable for him or others with disabilities until years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been a retroactive accommodation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duerstock<\/a>, a professor of practice in industrial engineering<\/a> and biomedical engineering<\/a> at Purdue University, is working to change that for autonomous vehicles while the technology is still in its early days. The goal is that when these vehicles start to hit the road everywhere, they will be able to accommodate anyone who wants to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really the wrong way to go to figure out how to adapt technology for a wheelchair user after already developing the technology,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if, instead, we consider, \u2018Hey, these are all the needs,\u2019 and then create some standards based on the minimum requirements of what the entire population needs, we can design the vehicle around those minimum standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping to establish standards on accessibility for autonomous vehicles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Duerstock and Brandon Pitts<\/a>, a Purdue assistant professor of industrial engineering, have worked together for four years on topics related to technology accessibility and inclusive design and have constantly sought opportunities to contribute their ideas to help shape the future of transportation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ideas are already becoming part of a major national conversation on how to make autonomous transportation more inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Nov. 17, Duerstock was a panelist for a webinar on accessibility and transportation<\/a> hosted by Challenge.Gov<\/a>, a program managed by the U.S. General Services Administration<\/a> that crowdsources innovative solutions to critical issues through federally sponsored prize competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duerstock shared how he and Pitts co-led a team to develop a design concept for helping the industry make autonomous vehicles accessible to people with disabilities. Their team\u2019s design concept won first place in a U.S. Department of Transportation competition in July. The goal of the competition, called the\u00a0Inclusive Design Challenge<\/a>, is to spur the innovation needed to ensure that when autonomous transportation becomes widespread, it can accommodate people with any travel-limiting disability or mobility challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Purdue University researchers and their collaborators developed a realistic demonstration of an accessible design concept that the industry could incorporate into their development of autonomous vehicles. (Purdue University photo\/John Underwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The winning design not only took into consideration the transportation challenges that people with disabilities face but also built on years of ideas generated among Duerstock, Pitts and BraunAbility<\/a>, an Indiana-based company that has been designing and manufacturing vehicle accessibility solutions since 1972. Duerstock is among the first wheelchair users to have provided feedback on new product designs at the recently opened BraunAbility Global Innovation Lab in the Indianapolis area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had the steady benefit of Professor Duerstock\u2019s expertise over the years,\u201d said Phill Bell, senior director of global corporate strategy for BraunAbility. \u201cIt\u2019s always good to have users come in and say, \u2018I don\u2019t like this interface\u2019 or \u2018I can\u2019t see where I\u2019m backing up in my wheelchair.\u2019 As an engineer, Professor Duerstock can help steer us into the direction we should be headed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time Duerstock, Pitts and Bell had heard about the Inclusive Design Challenge, they had already identified autonomous vehicles as an opportunity to change the lives of people with disabilities and were working toward design solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBraunAbility, with Purdue, thinks about accessibility from the get-go, and we can bring those considerations to the original equipment manufacturers while they\u2019re early in their design work,\u201d Bell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Brad Duerstock and Phill Bell (right) have been collaborating for eight years on how to improve the design of vehicles for people with disabilities. (Purdue University photo\/John Underwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What an inclusive autonomous vehicle could look like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For the Inclusive Design Challenge, the team built an automated, vehiclelike prototype that demonstrates the features autonomous transportation would need to serve people with a range of disabilities. The researchers call the prototype EASI RIDER<\/a>, which stands for \u201cEfficient, Accessible and Safe Interaction in a Real Integrated Design Environment for Riders with disabilities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though EASI RIDER isn\u2019t meant to be driven (it doesn\u2019t have a motor), the researchers showed that whether a person\u2019s disability is physical or sensory, they can successfully operate the vehicle\u2019s different controls all by themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EASI RIDER not only has a voice-activated, wheelchair-accessible ramp but also uses sensors to prevent inadvertent deployment of the ramp into obstacles when parked. A mechanism within EASI RIDER helps secure a wheelchair into the safest position during a ride. The prototype can accommodate up to two wheelchair users at once and has reconfigurable seats for riders who don\u2019t use wheelchairs. Cameras and sensors help passengers to better understand their surroundings in the vehicle and allow a remote operator to communicate with them in the case of emergency situations where the passengers might need assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using their personal mobile phone or tablet, a traveler can control the vehicle\u2019s features such as interior lighting, the horn, headlights and entertainment. A screen inside of the vehicle would help a rider see the operator or access a map of their route if they are hearing-impaired or aren\u2019t able to use their hands to press buttons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of the features we included in the vehicle were intended to enable what we call a \u2018seamless travel experience,\u2019 which means that interacting with the vehicle is so natural that a person doesn\u2019t know they\u2019re interacting with it,\u201d said Pitts, who conducts research on how older adult populations interact with various autonomous systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitts\u2019 research influenced the design of EASI RIDER\u2019s features. \u201cMany of the same design solutions tested in my lab that aim to help aging adults better use digital technologies can also be used to support individuals with a range of disabilities,\u201d Pitts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Brandon Pitts sits in the seat of an advanced driving simulator in his lab at Purdue University, where he studies how autonomous vehicles could accommodate older adult travelers who may want to use them in the future. (Purdue University photo\/John Underwood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The EASI RIDER prototype also incorporated input from people with disabilities, including BraunAbility\u2019s Driving Force<\/a>, through surveys, interviews and interactive demonstration sessions. EASI RIDER was built using parts and expertise from three other companies in addition to BraunAbility: Local Motors, Schaeffler, and Prehensile Technologies<\/a>, a startup run by Duerstock and Purdue alumnus Jeffrey Ackerman. Prehensile Technologies specializes in using robotics and power sensor systems for wheelchair users, building on robotic desk and table concepts co-invented by Duerstock and patented through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization<\/a>. Prehensile Technologies is a client of the Purdue Foundry<\/a>, an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though EASI RIDER\u2019s parts are technology that has already been serving people with disabilities in different settings \u2013 the automotive controls that Schaeffler contributed, for example, enable wheelchair users to drive cars \u2013 how these parts were integrated together is what makes the design so innovative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we were finishing up the process of building EASI RIDER, I stepped inside of it and felt like I was standing in the future,\u201d Bell said. \u201cI hadn\u2019t seen this sort of integration anywhere. This is the first iteration of what\u2019s coming down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking ahead on the future of transportation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The EASI RIDER team was awarded $1 million with its Inclusive Design Challenge win. Duerstock and Pitts will be using the prize money to establish a center at Purdue on accessible design for transportation. Through this center, Purdue researchers will engage with industry partners and governmental bodies to keep working toward inclusive vehicle design standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe envision that our work will help build a more equitable transportation future and, in turn, promote a higher quality of life for people at different points along the ability spectrum,\u201d Pitts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team will also continue researching ways to develop technology that is universal for a wide range of disabilities. \u201cEven though I have my own unique perspective, it\u2019s not everyone\u2019s perspective,\u201d Duerstock said. \u201cIt takes some depth in understanding of what are everyone\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Purdue University<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today\u2019s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at\u00a0https:\/\/stories.purdue.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n Writer\/Media contact:<\/strong>\u00a0Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432,\u00a0wiles5@purdue.edu<\/a>\u00a0
Sources:\u00a0<\/strong>Brad Duerstock,\u00a0bsd@purdue.edu<\/a>
Brandon Pitts,\u00a0bjpitts@purdue.edu<\/a>
Phill Bell,\u00a0Phill.Bell@braunability.com<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n
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Note to journalists:<\/p>\n

\n B-roll of a prototype<\/a>\u00a0designed to improve the accessibility of autonomous transportation is available on YouTube.\u00a0Additional photos of the prototype<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0b-roll of Purdue University\u2019s campus<\/a>\u00a0are available via Google Drive. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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