It’s been said that I am a thought leader and someone who thinks outside the box. After you read this column you will probably accuse me of not even knowing there is a box.
As I read articles and think about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) it occurs to me many engineers are not thinking about this new technology landscape of AI for solving very old problems in the trucking industry.
One of the most concerning problems talked about on the nightly news is when a car runs into the back of a tractor trailer at high speed and the driver of the car gets decapitated. It is a tragedy for all concerned.
Even on a busy news night, if there was a decapitation, the newscasters will ask, “Why hasn’t this problem been solved?” Even if it doesn’t make economic sense, citizens are not happy with the thought of getting decapitated.
I think today’s technology can offer a different approach to solving the problem of cars under-riding trailers. My brain has been subconsciously working on this problem since I wrote my very first article on LinkedIn. It is still on my profile dated June 13, 2014, "Connecting the Dots in Technology by a Gonzo Blogger”
Past solutions have not focused on absorbing energy. My solution is modern day, and by modern day I mean still in Auburn University labs studying AI and ML technology. The solution to the underride problem using AI and ML is to redirect and absorb the vehicle energy instead of trying to stop it all at once with an ICC bumper.
My outside-the-box solution is to use a variation of current crash avoidance technology used in the front of tractor trailers to prevent trucks from running into cars – but in reverse.
