UArizona researchers hope autonomous technology can smooth traffic flow AZ Big Media

University of Arizona researchers are collaborating on an autonomous technology project that could prove autonomous vehicles can improve traffic flow and decrease fuel consumption. The project aims to demonstrate for the first time in real traffic that using intelligent control of a small number of connected and automated vehicles can improve the energy efficiency of all the vehicles by reducing traffic congestion, said Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Professor Jonathan Sprinkle. "More and more passenger vehicles come with features that automate some driving tasks," Sprinkle said. "New advancements in machine learning are showing how small changes to those features can work to address societal-scale challenges, such as the amount of fuel spent while sitting in stop-and-go traffic during a daily commute." The project is being funded through a $3.5 million U.S. Department of Energy cooperative research project.