BRYAN REIMER, Ph.D.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6:30pm – 9pm
IBM Research, 1 Rogers St., Cambridge
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Abstract

Every day, automobiles equipped with increasingly sophisticated autonomous driving technologies are cruising onto the world’s roadways. Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes and others are offering mid-level automation technologies at local dealerships. Today, technology companies such as Google, Uber and Boston’s own nuTonomy are testing highly automated vehicles in limited deployments. Traditional vehicle manufacturers are promising mass-produced, highly automated vehicles in the early to mid-2020s. This technical wave spreading across the landscape has the ability to impact how we live and move through an attention economy where resources unencumbered by one activity will be rapidly reallocated to another. This talk will discuss some of what we know about current trends in vehicle automation, what automation may mean for drivers, and how our mobility options are shifting. Video illustrations from current MIT research highlighting vehicle automation in use, computer vision based data reduction strategies, and other related topics will be discussed. Come explore the evolving transportation ecosystem, learn about some of the theory behind our ability to work with automation, and perhaps see a foreshadowing of life tomorrow.

Bio

Bryan Reimer, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist in the MIT AgeLab and the Associate Director of The New England University Transportation Center at MIT. His research seeks to develop theoretical and applied insight into driver behavior by fusing together traditional psychological methods with big data analytics in computer vision and predictive modeling. His work leverages laboratory experimentation, driving simulation, field testing, and naturalistic study to develop a comprehensive understanding of visual, physiological, behavioral, and overall performance characteristics associated with how drivers respond to the increasing complexity of the modern operating environment. His work aims to find solutions to the next generation of human factors challenges associated with driver attention management, distraction, automation, and the use of advanced driver assistance systems to maximize mobility and safety. He is an author on over 200 technical contributions in transportation and related human factors areas and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, an M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.