The researchers from the University of Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) are modifying a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to autonomous drive-by-wire operation.

The research platform, named ‘Autonomoose’, will have:

 A full suite of radar, sonar, lidar, inertial and vision sensors.

1. 1) A full suite of radar, sonar, lidar, inertial and vision sensors.
   2) Powerful embedded computers to run a complete autonomous driving system, integrating sensor fusion, path planning, and motion control software.
   3) Custom autonomy software stack being developed at Waterloo as part of the research.

Based on the SAE International standard for automated driving (SAE J3016, a 0-5 scale), the vehicle will initially operate at level 2. Through the duration of research program, the team will advance the automation to level 3 and ultimately level 4.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) provided initial research funding. Nine professors are involved from the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Mathematics.

​

Specific Projects:

•  Improve self-driving in all-weather conditions that are specific to Canada

a. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) in all weather conditions
b. Autonomous maneuvers under extreme conditions

•  Optimize self-driving for fuel efficiency and reduced emissions

c. Power-management controllers for autonomous driving

• Provide methods to design safe, robust computer-based controls for self-driving vehicles

d. Feature-oriented engineering (FOE)[1]
e. Runtime monitoring and reconfiguration infrastructure for autonomous driving
f. Fault-tolerant electric/electronic (E/E) architectures for autonomous vehicles
g. Functional safety for software and components of autonomous vehicle systems

​

[1] Autonomous driving requires a multitude of distinct behaviors, called features (e.g. Lane Changing, Self-Parking). Feature-oriented engineering (FOE) promotes independent development of the features and ultimately feature interactions (FIs). FIs are a fundamental challenge in FOE.