Q. All around town the light poles at main intersections have been sprouting square plates (maybe nine inches) facing down the street. What are they?
A. They’re “roadside units” (RSUs) for the Ann Arbor Test Environment Project (AATEP), a collaboration between the city and the U-M. These and other devices enable participating vehicles to communicate with one another, and with traffic infrastructure such as stoplights. An employee at the U-M Transportation Research Institute calls it “the largest deployment of connected vehicle[s] on the planet!”
By providing vehicles with an almost instantaneous awareness of road conditions and traffic, connectivity is expected to improve both safety and mobility. To learn more about connected vehicle technology and how to get your car connected, email connectedvehicle@umich.edu
Got a question? Email question@aaobserver.com.
