Automotive research at Waterloo leads to safer, smarter, greener cars

Sebastian Fischmeister finds the idea of thousands of cars digitally conversing on a range of topics, from traffic jams and black ice, to washouts and fallen trees, particularly tantalizing. An associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, cross-appointed to the Faculties of Engineering and Mathematics, Fischmeister is the scientific lead on the vehicle that is the Connected Vehicle Technology Showcase, better known by its pet name, the Connected Lexus.

Sponsored by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, the program’s rolling display – a 2014 Lexus RX350 donated by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. – travels to auto shows and tech displays across North America. Thirteen companies have filled it with technology that makes drivers more aware of conditions for a safe and comfortable ride.

The fact the Connected Lexus parks in Engineering 5 between trips underscores Waterloo’s heft in the automotive field.

“Waterloo has the largest group of automotive researchers in the country,” says Ross McKenzie, managing director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR). “Working alongside industry partners, we create new automotive technologies in Canada, with the North American driver in mind.”

"This approach, combined with our experiential learning philosophy that has undergraduates assembling motors, and graduates engaged in advanced transportation research, positions Waterloo as a leading North American institution in the automotive sector.”

It takes a team

Unveiled in May 2014, the Connected Lexus marks another milestone in collaborative research at Waterloo. This connected vehicle demonstrator functions as a platform for companies to show off technology that enhances the experience of driving.

And it serves as a moving laboratory for faculty and students to see how the technology works, and how it might be improved.

“When I sat in it, I saw the potential for future industry partners to participate, show their technology and build something even greater than the vehicle we already have,” Fischmeister says.

Connected drivers

For all of the buzz about cars driving themselves in the near future, the Lexus demonstrator is not about disconnected drivers. It provides the driver with additional built-in safety features, such as camera views around the car, and information about road conditions and weather shared among other vehicles.

The features include a breathalyser lockout system to keep drivers from driving drunk. Another system logs driving habits and vehicle performance. The car also offers drivers hand-gesture commands for the dashboard monitor, multiple options for interior lighting and an induction charger that wirelessly tops up smartphones.

All of that inbound and outbound information is integrated, flowing through an operating system from QNX Software Systems. QNX’s embedded product is in 60 percent of vehicle infotainment systems. Now part of the BlackBerry family, QNX was founded by Waterloo students Dan Dodge and Gordon Bell in 1980.

“The good thing ishe car doesn’t feel different, so it reduces the cognitive load on your brain,” says Raghunath Gannamaraju, a Waterloo research engineer and technology manager of the project.

“With these additional technologies, the aim is to have them seamlessly integrate with the vehicle and communicate with the driver in a non-distractive way.”