Ezra Systems Seminar: Alexandre Bayen (UC Berkeley)

Description

Also available via Zoom

Mixed-autonomy traffic at scale: how can a small proportion of automated vehicles improve overall traffic efficiency?

This talk summarizes rapid progress made in the integration of machine learning techniques with cloud computing, in the context of mixed autonomy traffic. The talk will present a new platform in which a cloud-based system can broadcast high level “speed plans” (generated through optimal control) through lossy communication channels such as the cellular network, to a fleet of vehicles with a given level of automation. The vehicles are then able through their autopilots (deep-RL-based algorithms) to control the surrounding traffic collaboratively, with the objective of reducing the energy footprint of congestion. Algorithms are designed to smooth “stop-and-go” waves on freeways, which are a significant cause of energy waste and accidents. Results from a large-scale experiment involving 100 automated vehicles are presented, in which Nissan, Toyota and GM vehicles are collectively able to run the algorithms on the I24 freeway in Nashville, TN, showcasing improvement in the overall energy consumption by up to 10%.
 

Bio:
Alexandre (“Alex”) Bayen is the Liao Cho Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, and currently also serves as Associate Provost for the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Ames. He also serves as the Director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute. He is the Principal Investigator of the CIRCLES and FLOW projects and served for seven years as the Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies. Bayen has authored or edited five books, and over 250 peer reviewed journal and conference articles. He has received numerous awards, including the PECASE Award from the White House, the CAREER Award from the NSF, the Ruberti Prize from the IEEE and the Huber Prize from the ASCE. He received a B.S. from the Ecole Polytechnique, France, an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. He worked at NASA Ames, and served at the French DoD, where he retired with the rank of Major.