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LTU connected car research session ends with successful demonstration, presentation

Arts and Sciences
July 17, 2024

SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University’s summer autonomous and connected car  research program for undergraduate students from around the nation wrapped up its successful third year Tuesday, with seven students making a final presentation after successfully programming two cars to drive themselves around a test track in an LTU parking lot.

Students participating in this year’s session, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, were:

  • Luis Escamilla, a computer science major from New Mexico State University
  • Michael Evans, a computer science major from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA
  • Beñat Froemming-Aldanondo, a data science major from the University of Minnesota
  • Rickey Johnson, a computer science major from North Carolina A&T State University
  • Marcial Machado, a computer and information sciences major from Ohio State University
  • Tatiana Rastoskueva, a computer science major from the University of Arizona
  • Anna Vadella, a computer science major from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN

The students were selected from a field of 86 applicants. They spent eight weeks on campus to conduct research and development on self-drive and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communications systems.

The final public demonstration of the students’ algorithms in two Gem electric city cars took place Monday, July 15 on a “road” of white tape lane markers laid out on an LTU parking lot. Drone video from the demonstration is available at: https://youtu.be/OeRlhWqmIgE

Based on the data collected from the demonstrations and practice runs, the students then wrote a technical report and made a final presentation Tuesday morning.

Their project developed five different self-drive lane-keeping algorithms. After testing on the road course, students evaluated and analyzed performance and reliability of the algorithms.

For the V2X communication research, students developed a smart traffic light management system with adaptive vehicle speed control algorithms, allowing the vehicles to move smoothly through a crosswalk or intersection, stopping for red lights and proceeding when the light turned green.

A video of the presentation is available at: https://youtu.be/aCp3Hq–BZs

V2X is an emerging technology designed to move traffic more smoothly and increase driving safety by warning drivers of hidden risks they might not be able to see. It involves installation of sensors along roadways, at intersections, and in cars, sensors that communicate over short-range wireless data networks.

Patrick Nelson, dean of the LTU College of Arts and Sciences, congratulated the participants after the presentation and awarded them a trophy.

The NSF REU program is the result of a successful grant application by C.J. Chung, LTU professor of computer science, and Joshua Siegel, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan State University.

Said Nelson: “LTU’s NSF REU program is one of the best-run REUs I’ve been a part of, and I’ve been involved in many REUs at the University of Michigan. The attention to detail and hands-on experience that Doctors Chung and Siegel provide are top-notch, putting LTU’s REU on par with any major research university.”

Added Siegel: “I feel fortunate to have been the PI at a partner institution for this REU. We’ve had a great three years of collaborative research, education, and outreach, and I’m particularly impressed with the output of this year’s cohort. Seven students showed up, worked hard to understand problems in automation and connected vehicles, and developed and demonstrated a technically and socially thoughtful connected traffic management system. They cultivated a strong mastery of the key automotive concepts of sensing, connectivity, inference, and actuation, and the robotic capabilities of perception, planning, and control. I look forward to following up with our students in a few years’ time to see the great work they’re doing.”

Chung said he thinks the REU is an ideal program for undergraduate students to be involved in research while putting theories into hands-on practice. Chung thanked the LTU graduate students and faculty members who assisted in the program: graduate students Devson Butani, Milan Jostes and Ryan Kaddis, and adjunct professors Nicholas Paul, Justin Dombecki, and Giuseppe DeRose.

The program started in the summer of 2022, and Chung and Siegel are applying to extend the grant for the next three years. For more information on the LTU NSF Self-Drive REU, visit https://www.ltu.edu/arts-sciences/mcs/nsf-reu.

Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

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Use Your Cell Phone as a Document Camera in Zoom

  • What you will need to have and do
  • Download the mobile Zoom app (either App Store or Google Play)
  • Have your phone plugged in
  • Set up video stand phone holder

From Computer

Log in and start your Zoom session with participants

From Phone

  • Start the Zoom session on your phone app (suggest setting your phone to “Do not disturb” since your phone screen will be seen in Zoom)
  • Type in the Meeting ID and Join
  • Do not use phone audio option to avoid feedback
  • Select “share content” and “screen” to share your cell phone’s screen in your Zoom session
  • Select “start broadcast” from Zoom app. The home screen of your cell phone is now being shared with your participants.

To use your cell phone as a makeshift document camera

  • Open (swipe to switch apps) and select the camera app on your phone
  • Start in photo mode and aim the camera at whatever materials you would like to share
  • This is where you will have to position what you want to share to get the best view – but you will see ‘how you are doing’ in the main Zoom session.