Project Readiness Package

Rev 8-25-2014

INTRODUCTION:
The primary objective of this Project Readiness Package (PRP) is to describe the proposed project by documenting
requirements (customer needs and expectations, specifications, deliverables, anticipated budget, skills and resources needed,
and people/ organizations affiliated with the project. This PRP will be utilized by faculty to evaluate project suitability in
terms of challenge, depth, scope, skills, budget, and student / faculty resources needed. It will also serve as an important
source of information for students during the planning phase to develop a project plan and schedule.
In this document, italicized text provides explanatory information regarding the desired content. If a particular item or aspect
of a section is not applicable for a given project, enter N/A (not applicable). For questions, contact Mark Smith at 475-7102,
mark.smith@rit.edu.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

Project Name (tentative):

Project Number, if known:

Autonomous People Mover- Remote Control

P15241

Preferred Start/End Semester in Senior Design:

Spring/Fall
Fall/Spring

Faculty Champion: (technical mentor: supports proposal development, anticipated technical mentor during project
execution; may also be Sponsor)

Name
Ray Ptucha

Dept.
CE

Email
rwpeec@rit.edu

Phone
585-475-2623

Other Support, if known: (faculty or others willing to provide expertise in areas outside the domain of the Faculty
Champion)

Name
Becker-Gomez
Wayne Walter

Dept.
CE
ME

Email
axbeec@rit.edu
wwweme@rit.edu

Phone
585-475-5292
585-475-2925

Project Guide: Rick Lux

Primary Customer, if known (name, phone, email): Ray Ptucha, 585-475-2623

Sponsor(s): (provider(s) of financial support)

Name/Organization
Lou Beato / Kodak Alaris
Esther Betancourt / Harris
Roger / Nuttall Golf Car
Mark Smith / MSD

Contact Info.
louis.beato@kodakalaris.com
ebetanco@harris.com
9-1-315-483-0760
mwspd21@rit.edu

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Type & Amount of Support

Committed
Will purchase golf cart
Will purchase golf cart
Will purchase golf cart
$2K for parts and tooling

Project Readiness Package

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PROJECT OVERVIEW:
It is no longer a question if self-driving cars will transform the automotive industry, but when.
Information Handling Services (IHS) Automotive, the worlds top automotive industry forecaster, pegs
this timeframe in the mid to late 2020s. IHS Automotive predicts that the number of self-driving cars
will grow from 230,000 in the year 2025 to 11.8 million by the year 2030 to 54 million by the year 2035,
to virtually all cars and trucks by the year 2050 [1]. Self-driving cars will make our roadways safer, our
environment cleaner, our roads less congested, and our lifestyles more efficient [1-4]. Further, for each
10% of American cars that are converted to full autonomy, the U.S. economy will save approximately
$40B/year [4]. Commuters around the world eagerly anticipate the changing of laws to allow these
vehicles to take over our roadways. What started with cruise control, is now driver assist, will develop
into highway auto pilot, and finally into full autonomy. From the U.S. Department of Transportation
(USDOT), to the National Science Foundation (NSF), to large private grants, big money is exchanging
hands to develop this transformation. Googles self-driving cars have already logged over 500,000 miles.
Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo are all
working towards driverless vehicles [4].
Several universities have instituted autonomous driving projects, most inspired by the DARPA Grand
Challenges from 10 years ago. RIT had a brief participation with our own Grand Challenge car called Gcart, but expensive sensors and the need for large corporate sponsorship squeezed us out of the
competition. Sensor costs for high speed driving are still very high, but have since come down
dramatically for low speed driving. The algorithms, including localization, obstacle avoidance, and
navigation, are very similar for high vs. low speed driving. This proposal aims to allow RIT to re-enter
the field of autonomous driving by converting a low speed golf cart into an autonomous people mover.
Specifically, the golf cart will be turned into a remote control vehicle via a multi-disciplinary senior
design (MSD) project. In subsequent years, advanced research using state-of-the-art sensors and
algorithms will teach the car how to drive autonomously. It is envisioned this flagship project will help
attract the brightest students and serve as a platform for which they can perform world class research.
Ultimately, it is anticipated this research will result in a multitude of publications, which will help secure
an influx of private and public grants.
RIT has declared transportation as one of the four key
pillars to the new PhD in engineering program. This
proposal sets out to create a vehicle to transport humans
(under controlled conditions) using wireless radio remote
control at Imagine RIT in 2015. Follow-on research will
enable fully autonomous navigation on RIT paths within
two years.
The project will excite students and media alike, and
the ultimate goal is to secure prestige, notoriety, and
large grant money in this booming sector of the
transportation industry. As evidence of the money at
stake, the USDOT Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act provides $72M in each of 2013 and
2014. Further, late last year, the USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration has
appropriated another $63M to 33 University Transportation Centers [5].
DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
1. Customer Needs and Objectives:
This proposal will allow RIT to enter the field of autonomous driving on marked, but crowded
pathways and small plazas on the RIT campus. During the fall of 2014, a multi-disciplinary senior
design (MSD) team will investigate methods of making a club car (people mover golf cart)
autonomous. Specifically, this team will draw up preliminary designs, and create a comprehensive
roadmap towards making this vehicle autonomous, then begin necessary modifications to the cart. In
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the spring, the concentration will shift towards making the club car remote control operational in
preparation for demo at Imagine RIT 2015. The emphasis of the MSD team will be on safety. It is
anticipated the platform created by these students will form the basis for a several years of MSD
projects. For example, in year 2, the vehicle will be made autonomous in tightly controlled
conditions, and in year 3 the vehicle will drive autonomously with little to no constraints.

A human passenger can assume and override control of steering, brake, and gas at a moments
notice
A safety kill switch will be available to all passengers
Proximity sensors will prevent the vehicle from driving into objects
Add safety bumpers to the front and back of the vehicle so that if the vehicles sensors fail, the
vehicle should stop immediately if it comes in contact with an object STRETCH
Display location of cart on a map of RIT campus
Vehicle steering and speed monitored
Wireless ability to drive vehicle and wireless ability to stop vehicle

2. Proposed work for the team:

Research how other universities have converted club cars into autonomous vehicles
Design a steering, brake, and gas assembly that allows a human to assume and override control at
a moments notice
Install a power distribution board to provide power for actuators, sensors, and onboard computer
Investigate, and if time permits, install proximity sensors on the front, back, and sides of the cart
Install a GPS receiver so we can track the vehicle on a map of the RIT campus
Investigate pros and cons of standard robotic development environments (such as Robot Operating
System) that will serve as the brain of the vehicle. The system will receive input from all sensors,
localize the car on the RIT campus, and ultimately make driving decisions (steering, gas, brake)
Install wheel and steering encoders to give continuous feedback on speed and direction the cart is
heading
Add wireless capability to the cart so that it can be controlled remotely via radio and a
smartphone. The radio feature is added as a wireless safety kill switch, while the smartphone
control will serve as a great demonstration tool to showcase the carts features until it is ready to
be used autonomously
Add safety bumpers to the front and back of the vehicle. Should the vehicles sensors fail, the
vehicle should stop immediately if it comes in contact with an object. These items are costly and
hopefully not necessary. Because they may be pivotal for the vehicle safety, they need to be
included and investigated thoroughly. For example, if proximity sensors work well enough, this
item can be omitted.
2. Constraints: External factors that, in some way, limit the selection of solution alternatives. They are usually imposed on
the design and are not directly related to the functional objectives of the system but apply across the system (eg. cost and
schedule constraints). Constraints are often included in the specifications list but they often violate the abstractness
property by specifying how.

3. Project Deliverables: Expected output, what will be delivered be as specific and thorough as possible.
The deliverables for phase I (meaning MSD 2014/15) need to be negotiated with our customer.
4. Budget Estimate: Major cost items anticipated.
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Electric golf cart- $3,500, sponsor will absorb this cost

Clutch assembly- $1,000- this is mostly machining fees from the machine shop
Proximity sensors- $200
Safety bumpers- $400 STRETCH
GPS receiver- $100
Wheel and steering encoders- $100
Wireless capability- $100
Power distribution board- $200
Microcontrollers- $100
Computer- $0
5. Intellectual Property (IP) considerations: Describe any IP concerns or limitations associated with the project. Is
there patent potential? Will confidentiality of any data or information be required?

6. Other Information: Describe potential benefits and liabilities, known project risks, etc.
7. Continuation Project Information, if appropriate: Include prior project(s) information, and how prior project(s)
relate to the proposed project.

STUDENT STAFFING:

Skills Checklist: Complete the PRP_Checklist document and include with your submission.

Anticipated Staffing Levels by Discipline:

Discipline
EE
ME
CE

How
Many?
3
4
1

Anticipated Skills Needed (concise descriptions)

Power distribution, GPS, sensors. Analog and digital design skills.
Device interfacing, embedded control, algorithms.
Steering, brake, gas modification, encoder installation. Familiarity with
gear boxes, clutch assemblies, and fabricating parts in the machine shop
Embedded control, GPS, sensors. Device interfacing, software,
algorithms..

Other

OTHER RESOURCES ANTICIPATED:

Describe resources needed to support successful development, implementation, and utilization of the project. This could
include specific faculty expertise, laboratory space and equipment, outside services, customer facilities, etc. Indicate if
resources are available, to your knowledge.
Category
Faculty

Description

Resource
Available?

Ray Ptucha

Wayne Walter

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Environment

Equipment

Materials

Other

References
[1] IHS Automotive, Emerging Technologies: Autonomous Cars- Not If, But When, IHS Automotive study, http://press.ihs.com/pressrelease/automotive/self-driving-cars-moving-industrys-drivers-seat, Jan 2, 2014.
[2] Tannert, Chuck. Will You Ever be Able to Afford a self-Driving Car?, www.fastcompany.com, 2014.
[3] Petri, Tom, US Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit- Hearing on How Autonomous Vehicles will Shape the Future of Surface
Transportation, Nov 19, 2013.
[4] 2nd Annual Willaim P. Eno Paper, Preparing a Nation for Autonomous Vehicles, 2013.
[5] U.S. Department of Transportaiton Awards $63 Million in University Transportation Cener Grants, http://www.rita.dot.gov/utc/press_releases/utc01_13,
2013.

Prepared by:

Date:

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