Just months after taking office, Gov. Doug Ducey issued a bold declaration recognizing the importance of emerging transportation technologies, stating: “(Arizona) has a shared vision that the future of transportation and commerce relies on innovative technologies that could result in more passenger and pedestrian safety, increase mobility options and foster economic productivity.”
The governor’s 2015 executive order established one of the nation’s first regulatory frameworks for the safe deployment of automated vehicle (AV) testing, paving the way for further innovation and economic development.
Today, companies that have operated automated vehicle testing in the state include TuSimple, Mobileye, Nuro, Imagery, Embark, Waymo, Lunewave, Udelv and Cruise.
With AV companies flocking, the state took AV innovation to the next level in 2018 with the establishment of the Institute of Automated Mobility (IAM), a public-private consortium housed within the Arizona Commerce Authority.
The collaborative effort is made up of industry leaders including Intel, Mobileye, State Farm, Cox Automotive Mobility and Exponent and works in tandem with public agencies like the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Maricopa Department of Transportation, the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Pima Association of Governments, along with researchers from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona.
Within just a few years of its creation, IAM has emerged as one of the world’s leading AV centers of excellence. In September, members of the IAM team were awarded the 2020 Trevor O. Jones Outstanding Paper Award for its pioneering work on automated vehicle safety metrics. The prestigious award recognizes research that provides technically new and innovative contributions to the existing knowledge of transportation electronics.
“That whitepaper has been passed around the world, literally,” said Jack Weast, senior principal engineer with Intel and vice president of automated vehicles standards for Mobileye, calling it the world’s definitive research paper defining the safety metrics for autonomous vehicles.
IAM’s safety metrics project is based in part on data capture from an AI-equipped intersection in Anthem that studies autonomous and connected vehicles in live scenarios. That research is key to what will someday be the safe, large-scale rollout of automated and connected-vehicle technologies.
In the coming months, the IAM team plans to roll out a statewide AV roadmap, testing light-detecting radar systems (LiDAR) at intersections and using a new, experimental Smart Road Side Unit developed by Intel. The use of these 5G-enabled smart units will lay the foundation for the future of smart intersections, using AI-based vision analytics, advanced communications and edge computing.
Increasing safety for drivers, pedestrians, first responders, and more remains a leading area of collaboration for IAM. The consortium is partnering with the Arizona Department of Transportation and AV trucking company Embark to advance research related to AV testing in highway work zones, a first within the industry.
Arizona’s AV leadership extends beyond just research and technology. A 2020 study predicts the state’s industry supports tens of thousands of jobs while generating billions in economic activity.
It also brings benefits to consumers. Hailed by The New York Times as the place “where self-driving cars go to learn,” Arizona remains the only place in the country where customers can hail an on-demand, fully driverless Waymo from a smartphone.
Similarly, Arizona is the place where AV innovator TuSimple, in collaboration with local public safety officials, has logged more than 550 miles of completely autonomous freight trucking, foreshadowing a breakthrough for labor-stretched supply chains.
As technology companies continue to invest billions in the testing and safe deployment of AV technology, Arizona promises to continue to be a leading center of innovation and discovery.
For more information about IAM, visit azcommerce.com/IAM.