Design Article
MIT develops AI-based 'driving buddy'
R Colin Johnson
11/2/2009 10:36 AM EST
PORTLAND, Ore. — MIT researchers are collaborating with Volkswagen and Audi to develop an AI-based "driving buddy" that could help motorists avoid traffic jams or remind them to fill an empty gas tank.
By observing a driver's habits, the artificial intelligence tool called AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Agent) learns routines and how best to assist with navigation and maintenance. AIDA is being developed by Audi and the Volkswagen Group of America's Electronics Research Lab in collaboration with MIT's Personal Robots Group along with its Media Lab and SENSEable City Lab.
"The key lies in all the real-time feeds that AIDA can process, both from inside the car and real-time information about the city outside the car," said professor Carlo Ratti, director of the SENSEable City Lab. "By combining and analyzing all these feeds, AIDA can start to understand your mood [and] the goals you would like to achieve."
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| MIT's artificial intelligence tool called AIDA will serve as a driving buddy for Audi and Volkswagons owners. |
The project was inspired by the amount of sensor data streaming in from current automotive systems used to monitor everything from weather to traffic conditions. By fusing data streams and personalizing the relevant elements, the researchers said AIDA could perform the same kind of tasks as a driving buddy.
Unlike a nagging "backseat driver," AIDA's "face" includes mood icons like a smile. Installed in the center of the dashboard, AIDA includes an array of sensors designed to interpret drivers' mood based on facial expression and other cues.
MIT's Personal Robots Group has been developing mood reading software in a quest for what it calls sociable robots.
AIDA would be capable of understanding typical human activities such as going to the store or a gas station. That ability is integrated into its database of a locale and its observations of the driver's habits (such as driving to work at the same time every week day). When the software infers that help is needed to, for instance, avoid a traffic jam, the system suggests an alternative route.
As it learns, AIDA would amass a personal database of a driver's most frequent destinations and routes, then compare them to its knowledge of environmental conditions, including local weather or special events.
Comments
JMWilliams
11/2/2009 1:22 PM EST
The problem here may be the same as was encountered in Windows XP and, worse, in Vista: The computer keeps interrupting with pointless comments, warnings, or update notices.
I would be a bit worried that, just as a computer user wants to operate the computer and not have it talk back, a driver will want to operate the car in peace and not have it communicating with him or her.
To mitigate aggravation, any such device should not use audio communication. But, distracted driving can cause accidents, whether the distraction is a warning of a hazard or not. MIT might incur considerable liability here.
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gt1200
11/2/2009 2:25 PM EST
Interesting idea. But what about using a GPS device and some common sense when driving instead?
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Work to Ride, RIde to Work
11/3/2009 2:43 PM EST
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Interesting, marginally. Usefulness -- zip. I guess V-dub likes keeping the creative juices flowing. We are subrogating more and more of ourselves to the machines. Eventually, we'll all be dumb enough to do nothing.
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zhgreader
11/3/2009 7:37 PM EST
oh, the equipment of reminding driver to fill the empty tire and monitoring the tire pressure is coming into way.
But avoid traffic jam seems impossible by this robot. Today most of car equipped with GPS, but can't do the job. unless the car can fly as a bird.
You can easily find so many such equipments work in the new car at vehicle exhibition.
what data bus will they adopt?
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