UC Berkeley researchers are studying how autonomous smart cars could help reduce traffic jams. This month, a research group conducted a field test on a stretch of freeway in Nashville in what they described as one of the world's largest traffic experiments of its kind.

UC Berkeley researchers are studying how autonomous smart cars could help reduce traffic jams. This month, a research group conducted a field test on a stretch of freeway in Nashville in what they described as one of the world's largest traffic experiments of its kind.

I talked about this with Professor Alex Bayan, associate provost with the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, as well as his colleague, Jonathan lee, a senior engineering manager at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies. You'll hear first from Alex,

I talked about this with Professor Alex Bayan, associate provost with the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, as well as his colleague, Jonathan lee, a senior engineering manager at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies. You'll hear first from Alex,

We put 100 vehicles on a very short stretch of freeway and circulated them for a few hours. We were doing this in Nashville Tennessee because this is the best instrumented freeway in the world, the I-24 motion.

We put 100 vehicles on a very short stretch of freeway and circulated them for a few hours. We were doing this in Nashville Tennessee because this is the best instrumented freeway in the world, the I-24 motion.

It has an extremely dense video camera network that enabled us to see everything which was happening on that day, not just our vehicles, but all the vehicles. And they were running our algorithms inside the vehicles so that we could see what happens at high concentration. What happens if you have many together doing something collaboratively.

It has an extremely dense video camera network that enabled us to see everything which was happening on that day, not just our vehicles, but all the vehicles. And they were running our algorithms inside the vehicles so that we could see what happens at high concentration. What happens if you have many together doing something collaboratively.

So you all were looking into how this technology could help reduce traffic jams. Did this field test help show that

So you all were looking into how this technology could help reduce traffic jams. Did this field test help show that

it did, what we wanted to show is that once people on the road we can make things better and in that context making things better. Was reducing the stop and go waves. I'm sure you've been in your car stops, it goes, it stops, it goes. And so the primary goal was to show that we can make things smoother because making things smoother is the first step towards improving the situation

it did, what we wanted to show is that once people on the road we can make things better and in that context making things better. Was reducing the stop and go waves. I'm sure you've been in your car stops, it goes, it stops, it goes. And so the primary goal was to show that we can make things smoother because making things smoother is the first step towards improving the situation

and this stop and go, stop and go, let's let's drill down on that a little bit more. This is that sort of tendency

and this stop and go, stop and go, let's let's drill down on that a little bit more. This is that sort of tendency

to fill a gap if there's one ahead of you, is that sort of what we're talking about? That's exactly right naturally as a, as a human, once you see a gap, you want to go and fill that gap because you want to be in line, but that actually creates more of a problem because then you exacerbate the wave and the wave gets bigger and bigger and and it gets worse for all of the drivers. So if you looked at sort of the whole landscape of the flow of traffic, you actually see

to fill a gap if there's one ahead of you, is that sort of what we're talking about? That's exactly right naturally as a, as a human, once you see a gap, you want to go and fill that gap because you want to be in line, but that actually creates more of a problem because then you exacerbate the wave and the wave gets bigger and bigger and and it gets worse for all of the drivers. So if you looked at sort of the whole landscape of the flow of traffic, you actually see

these pockets of slowdowns and they travel backwards through all of traffic and this is a repeating pattern that happens basically throughout the whole morning. If if it's dense enough, So can I just say that I consider myself one of those drivers who really tries hard to resist the urge to fill the gap to plunge forward into the gap that you see ahead of you and do you guys ever hear from drivers

these pockets of slowdowns and they travel backwards through all of traffic and this is a repeating pattern that happens basically throughout the whole morning. If if it's dense enough, So can I just say that I consider myself one of those drivers who really tries hard to resist the urge to fill the gap to plunge forward into the gap that you see ahead of you and do you guys ever hear from drivers

that, that they're working on this? Or is everyone just saying heck, you know, I got to get into that gap? I'm sure there are plenty of people that do that. I have friends that have told me that they do that themselves. But the fact of the matter is if you have enough people that are not doing that,

that, that they're working on this? Or is everyone just saying heck, you know, I got to get into that gap? I'm sure there are plenty of people that do that. I have friends that have told me that they do that themselves. But the fact of the matter is if you have enough people that are not doing that,

it still creates a problem that needs to be addressed. I have noticed over the years here, in the neighborhood of K Q E d, a lot of testing of autonomous vehicles, this seems to be a very popular part of SAn Francisco to really get to know how traffic works and to figure out how to quote unquote program, these vehicles, I ask you, how close are we to seeing them become

it still creates a problem that needs to be addressed. I have noticed over the years here, in the neighborhood of K Q E d, a lot of testing of autonomous vehicles, this seems to be a very popular part of SAn Francisco to really get to know how traffic works and to figure out how to quote unquote program, these vehicles, I ask you, how close are we to seeing them become

a more regular part of roads everywhere. So

a more regular part of roads everywhere. So

what you see in SAn Francisco is different than what we did mostly because we were operating mostly on the freeways and the cars you see around KQED are cars that are operating in an urban environment here. They're mostly worried about hitting pedestrians and understanding the laws of traffic with signs on our test vehicles were mostly worried about thousands of vehicles being shepherded through a big freeway. And to answer your question of

what you see in SAn Francisco is different than what we did mostly because we were operating mostly on the freeways and the cars you see around KQED are cars that are operating in an urban environment here. They're mostly worried about hitting pedestrians and understanding the laws of traffic with signs on our test vehicles were mostly worried about thousands of vehicles being shepherded through a big freeway. And to answer your question of

when this will happen, it really depends the things in the cities is much harder because there's much more complexity. But on the freeways were only looking probably a few years ahead. Before you know, this becomes a reality that

when this will happen, it really depends the things in the cities is much harder because there's much more complexity. But on the freeways were only looking probably a few years ahead. Before you know, this becomes a reality that

was Professor Alex Bayan, associate provost with the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley and his colleague, Jonathan lee, a senior engineering manager at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies, you're listening to Morning Edition on KQEDD

was Professor Alex Bayan, associate provost with the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley and his colleague, Jonathan lee, a senior engineering manager at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies, you're listening to Morning Edition on KQEDD