TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 7 30 Auto Play The Texas Medical Center is named an automated vehicle proving ground F rom Knight Rider's car to the Batmobile, automated vehicles have long been a fixture in popular cul- ture. As companies like Google, Tesla and Uber experiment with automation, what was once science fiction may soon be a reality. But before the highest levels of automation can be made available to the average consumer, the vehicles need to be tested. A recent desig- nation by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has the potential to bring the Texas Medical Center to the forefront of testing innovative forms of transportation. Given that Texas is the second most populous state in the country and home to five of the nation's 11 fast- est-growing cities, state leaders decided it was an ideal location for experimenta- tion. Thirty-two municipal and regional partners in Texas joined three research institutions—Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and Southwest Research Institute—to form the Texas AV (Automated Vehicle) Proving Ground Partnership. At the beginning of 2017, the partnership was selected by the DOT as one of 10 testing regions. Each of the institutions is already studying various aspects of vehicle automation, which is likely part of what made the Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership attractive to the DOT: it encompasses the full ecosystem of vehicle automation research, testing and implementation. "We can take automated vehicle research coming out of our three research entities and migrate it to pilots and demonstrations in real- world urban test sites around Texas," said Christopher Poe, Ph.D., assistant director of connected and automated transportation strategy at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Among the 32 partners is a group known as Team Houston, which consists of Houston-area institutions, including METRO Houston, Port of Houston and the Texas Medical Center (TMC). Last fall, Tesla unveiled hardware to enable fully autonomous vehicles. Features include eight cameras providing 360-degree visibility, 12 sensors to detect obstacles, and radar that can travel through inclement weather and even in front of another car ahead. Credit: Tesla B y S h e a C o n n e l l y THE TEXAS AV PROVING GROUND PARTNERSHIP Austin Area City of Austin, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Capital METRO, Capital Area MPO. Bryan/College Station Area City of Bryan, City of College Station, and Brazos Valley Council of Governments. Corpus Christi Area City of Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi MPO. Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Area City of Arlington, City of Dallas, City of Fort Worth, City of Grand Prairie, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Tarrant County, Denton County Transit Authority, University of Texas at Arlington. El Paso Area City of El Paso, County of El Paso, and Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, and El Paso MPO. Houston Area Houston METRO, City of Houston, Harris County, Port of Houston, Houston- Galveston Area Council, Texas Medical Center, University of Houston. San Antonio Area City of San Antonio, VIA Transit, Alamo Area MPO, Joint Base San Antonio. Texas Source: Texas AV Proving Ground Partnership

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