A project that developed a technology that improves the fuel efficiency of delivery vehicles has won the 2021 Robert C. Johns Research Partnership Award. MSI PI William Northrop (associate professor, Mechanical Engineering) is the PI of this project, and MSI PI Shashi Shekhar (professor, Computer Science and Engineering) is a co-investigator. The U of M team worked with colleagues from UPS, Workhorse Group, and JKV Engineering. The technology uses GPS data to provide real-time adjustments to delivery vehicles to optimize fuel usage. A story about this project appears on the website of the Center for Transportation Studies: Project That Boosts Fuel Economy of Delivery Vehicles Receives Research Partnership Award.
Professor Northrop uses MSI for research into combustion, engines, and vehicles. Professor Shekhar is creating deep learning frameworks for geospatial object detection.