Inclusive Design Challenge Competitors
The competitors listed below participated in Stage II of the Inclusive Design Challenge. They were selected from 50 submissions received in Stage I. These researchers and innovators have proposed hardware and software solutions addressing a wide range of physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, all aimed at integrating with Automated Driving System-Dedicated Vehicles (ADS-DVs). The listing below provides a summary of each finalist’s proposal, along with their contact information
Stage II Finalist Awardees
Stage I Semifinalist Awardees
- Boston University
- Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute
- Clemson University
- Foresight Augmented Reality
- May Mobility & University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI)
- University of Kansas
- Waymo
 |
Purdue University First Prize – $1,000,000 The team developed a life-sized, operational demonstration platform known as the Efficient, Accessible and Safe Interaction in a Real Integrated Design Environment for Riders with disabilities (EASI RIDER). The vehicle contained an in-floor ADS-DV ramp design, an automatically deploying “Smart Ramp,” an automated wheelchair securement system, and an on-board user-interface that will provide accessibility features that cater to people with a wide range of disabilities. Video Link: Purdue University Project Contact: Bradley Duerstock |
 |
AbleLink Smart Living Technologies Second Prize – $700,000 The research team laid the foundation for accessibility by developing the WayFinder ADS system, a comprehensive mobile application designed to support independent access to ADS-DVs by individuals with cognitive disabilities and others with special needs. A WayFinder ADS Dashboard was developed to allow caregivers to set up secure connections to companies providing reservation access to ADS-DVs. The module provides the opportunity to set pre-determined destinations for the user. The overall goal is to provide cognitively accessible interfaces and app navigation features, and to reduce the overall cognitive load associated with interacting with an ADS-DV. Video Link: AbleLink Smart Living Technologies Project Contact: Dan Davies |
 |
University of Maine Third Prize – $300,000 This team developed “Ava”, the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant, an innovative ride-hailing, and localization smartphone application designed to seamlessly assist passengers with visual impairment and older adults during pre-journey planning, travel to pick-up locations, and vehicle entry. Ava uses innovative human-machine interfaces and technologies such as GPS and computer vision to help users find and ultimately arrive at an ADS-DV safely. The initial rollout of Ava’s training modules can be fully deployed and utilized via users’ existing smartphones, representing a cost-effective and timely solution to the problem of trust in automated vehicles. Video Link: University of Maine |
 |
Boston University Project Contact: Eshed Ohn-Bar |
|
|
Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute Video Link: Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute Project Contact: Nikolas Martelaro Project Website: https://www.cmu.edu/traffic21/index.html OR https://www.hcii.cmu.edu/ |
 |
Clemson University Video Link: Clemson University Project Contact: Julian Brinkley Project Website: http://drivelab.org/ |
 |
Foresight Augmented Reality Video Link: Foresight Augmented Reality Project Contact: Chris Webb |
 |
May Mobility & University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) Video Link: May Mobility & University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) Project Contact: Erin McCurry Project Website: https://www.umtri.umich.edu/ |
 |
University of Kansas Video Link: University of Kansas Project Contact: Alexandra Kondyli |
 |
Video Link: Waymo Project Contact: Clement Wright |
