SAE Edge™ Research Reports - SAE Mobilus
SAE Edge™ Research Reports provide state-of-the-art and state-of-industry examinations of the most significant topics facing the mobility industry today. With a dedicated focus on emerging topics in new mobility, they offer a structured framework and methodical approach for thinking about and working with rapidly shifting technologies.
Automated vehicles, in the form we see today, started off-road. Ideas, technologies, and engineers came from agriculture, aerospace, and other off-road domains. While there are cases when only on-road experience will provide the necessary learning to advance automated driving systems, there is much relevant activity in off-road domains that receives less attention. Implications of Off-road Automation for On-road Automated Driving Systems argues that one way to accelerate on-road ADS development is to look at similar experiences off-road. There are plenty of people who see this connection, but there is no formalized system for exchanging knowledge. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.
Electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles for urban air mobility (UAM) are garnering increased attention from both the automotive and aerospace industries, with use cases ranging from individual transportation, public service, cargo delivery, and more. Distributed electric propulsion systems are their main technical feature; they determine vehicle size and propulsion efficiency and provide distributed thrust to achieve attitude control. Considering the intended role of eVTOL vehicles, ducted-fan systems are ideal choice for the propulsor, as the duct provides a physical barrier between the rotating blades and the human, especially during the take-off and landing phases. Key Technology Challenges of Electric Ducted Fan Propulsion Systems for eVTOL introduces the main bottlenecks and key enablers of ducted-fan propulsion systems for eVTOL applications. Based on the introduction and discussion of these important issues, this report will help eVTOL engineers understand the
This SAE EDGE™ Research Report builds a comprehensive picture of the current state-of-the-art of human-robot applications, identifying key issues to unlock the technology’s potential. It brings together views of recognized thought leaders to understand and deconstruct the myths and realities of human- robot collaboration, and how it could eventually have the impact envisaged by many.Current thinking suggests that the emerging technology of human-robot collaboration provides an ideal solution, combining the flexibility and skill of human operators with the precision, repeatability, and reliability of robots. Yet, the topic tends to generate intense reactions ranging from a “brave new future” for aircraft manufacturing and assembly, to workers living in fear of a robot invasion and lost jobs.It is widely acknowledged that the application of robotics and automation in aerospace manufacturing is significantly lower than might be expected. Reasons include product variability, size, design
In the aerospace industry, competition is high and the need to ensure safety and security while managing costs is paramount. Furthermore, stakeholders—who gain the most by working together—do not necessarily trust each other. Now, mix that with changing enterprise technologies, management of historical records, and customized legacy systems. This issue touches all aspects of the aerospace industry, from frequent flyer miles to aircraft maintenance and drives tremendous inefficiency and cost.Technology that augments, rather than replaces, is needed to transform these complex systems into efficient, digital processes. Blockchain technology offers collaborative opportunities for solving some of the data problems that have long challenged the industry.This SAE EDGE™ Research Report by Rhonda D. Walthall examines how blockchain technology could impact the aerospace industry and addresses some of the unsettled concerns surrounding its implementation.{"uri":[{"xlink:href":"https://www.sae.org
Replacing fossil-fueled vehicles with battery-electric ones is a risky strategy. It is likely to be limited by the supply of metals critical to battery and solar cell production, and the investment required in decarbonized electricity. Using hydrogen to store renewable energy would greatly reduce efficiency, further increasing the investment required to decarbonize the electricity supply. The lowest technical risk and most economical pathway to decarbonization is reducing private car use. Shorter journeys would be made by walking and cycling – also known as “active travel” – with public transport used for most longer journeys.Realizing this cultural change in transport behavior will first require comprehensive networks for safe and enjoyable active travel, which separate walking and cycling. All locations should connect to either a fully segregated cycleway or traffic calmed roadways with a maximum speed of 30 kph. Active travel investment can save money due to improved public health
This SAE EDGE Research Report looks at the pros and cons of moving this technology forward and brings recommendations to facilitate a smooth transition from fossil fuel-based to hydrogen-based mobility.Unsettled Issues Concerning the Economics of Fuel Cells and Electric Ground Vehicles discusses the unsettled economic aspects of hydrogen and fuel cell applications in the automotive industry. Lately, the idea of using hydrogen in automotive applications is gaining momentum. While the concept of using clean hydrogen fuel generated from water via electrolysis is nothing new, previous efforts to mainstream the technology failed miserably. About a decade ago, the fuel cell technology, which efficiently converts hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into electricity, was not as advanced and the fuel cell prototypes were bulky and expensive.Yet, many new fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have emerged, and hydrogen refueling infrastructure is being built globally. Despite the important steps
Unsettled Topics in Automated Vehicle Data Sharing for Verification and Validation Purposes discusses the unsettled issue of sharing the terabytes of driving data generated by Automated Vehicles (AVs) on a daily basis. Perception engineers use these large datasets to analyze and model the automated driving systems (ADS) that will eventually be integrated into future “self-driving” vehicles. However, the current industry practices of collecting data by driving on public roads to understand real-world scenarios is not practical and will be unlikely to lead to safe deployment of this technology anytime soon. Estimates show that it could take 400 years for a fleet of 100 AVs to drive enough miles to prove that they are as safe as human drivers.Yet, data-sharing can be developed – as a technology, culture, and business – and allow for rapid generation and testing of the billions of possible scenarios that are needed to prove practicality and safety of an ADS – resulting in lower research
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an emerging technology with a large variety of commercial and military applications. In-flight icing occurs during flight in supercooled clouds or freezing precipitation and is a potential hazard to all aircraft. In-flight icing on UAVs imposes a major limitation on the operational envelope. This report describes the unsettled topics related to UAV icing. First, typical UAV applications and the general hazards of icing are described. Second, an overview of the special technical characteristics of icing on autonomous and unmanned aircraft is given. Third, the operational challenges for flight in icing conditions are discussed. Fourth, technologies for ice protection that mitigate the icing hazard are introduced. Fifth, the tools and methods required to understand UAV icing and to develop aircraft with cold-weather capabilities are presented. Finally, an assessment of the current and future regulations regarding icing on UAVs is provided.Icing is a key
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) face similar challenges regarding the regulation of autonomous systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that replace the human factor in the decision-making process. Validation and verification (V&V) processes contribute to implementation of correct system requirements and the development life cycle - starting with the definition of regulatory, marketing, operational, performance, and safety requirements. The V&V process is one of the steps of a development life cycle starting with the definition of regulatory, marketing, operational, performance, and safety requirements. They define what a product is, and they flow down into lower level requirements defining control architectures, hardware, and software. The industry is attempting to define regulatory requirements and a framework to gain safety clearance of such products
Additive manufacturing (AM) is currently being used to produce many certified aerospace components. However, significant advantages of AM are not exploited due to unresolved issues associated with process control, feedstock materials, surface finish, inspection, and cost. Components subject to fatigue must undergo surface finish improvements to enable inspection. This adds cost and limits the use of topology optimization. Continued development of process models is also required to enable optimization and understand the potential for defects in thin-walled and slender sections. Costs are high for powder-fed processes due to material costs, machine costs, and low deposition rates. Costs for wire-fed processes are high due to the extensive postprocess machining required. In addition, these processes are limited to low-complexity features. Incremental improvements in all of these areas are being made, but a step change could potentially be achieved by hybrid processes, which use wire
Over the last 100 years, the automobile has become integrated in a fundamental way into the broader economy. A broad and deep ecosystem has emerged, and critical components of this ecosystem include insurance, after-market services, automobile retail sales, automobile lending, energy suppliers (e.g., gas stations), medical services, advertising, lawyers, banking, public planners, and law enforcement. These components - which together represent almost $2 trillion of the U.S. economy - are in equilibrium based on the current capabilities of automotive technology. However, the advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and technologies like electrification have the potential to significantly disrupt the automotive ecosystem. The critical cog governing the rate and pace of this shift is the management of the test and verification of AVs. In this SAE EDGE™ report, six senior industry leaders in the impacted ecosystems essay articles which describe sectors of the current automotive ecosystem and
Hydrogen fuel is rapidly emerging as a clean energy carrier solution that has the potential to decarbonize a variety of industries, including, or predominantly, the transportation industry. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), which electrochemically combine stored hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen to efficiently generate electricity while producing only water vapor and small amounts of heat, are heralded to be a game-changing technology. The so-called hydrogen economy has the potential to displace traditional fossil fuel-based economy, with the transportation industry being the first mover in the hydrogen space. Technological advances made in the last decade in the areas of hydrogen generation and fuel cell technology have enabled the current uptake of hydrogen-based solutions for vehicle applications. Reduced costs, climate change, and carbon tax mechanisms are driving many governments, manufacturers, and consumers toward hydrogen-powered vehicles. The major drawbacks of hydrogen
Within manufacturing, measurements are used to make decisions related to product verification and process control. The selection of production machines and instruments involves a trade-off to achieve the required accuracy while minimizing cost. Similarly, deciding on the level of confidence at which products are rejected is a trade-off between the cost of rejecting acceptable parts and the cost of passing substandard products to the customer. These trade-offs can only be optimized if the uncertainties are fully understood. Currently multiple methodologies are used to understand uncertainties and variation within manufacturing, such as measurement systems analysis (MSA), statistical process control (SPC), and uncertainty evaluation. The industry lacks a unified approach that provides a complete understanding of uncertainty. This means that optimal decisions cannot be made to maximize the profitability of production systems. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and
Abstract Automated driving system (ADS) technology and ADS-enabled/operated vehicles - commonly referred to as automated vehicles and autonomous vehicles (AVs) - have the potential to impact the world as significantly as the internal combustion engine. Successful ADS technologies could fundamentally transform the automotive industry, civil planning, the energy sector, and more. Rapid progress is being made in artificial intelligence (AI), which sits at the core of and forms the basis of ADS platforms. Consequently, autonomous capabilities such as those afforded by advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and other automation solutions are increasingly becoming available in the marketplace. To achieve highly or fully automated or autonomous capabilities, a major leap forward in the validation of these ADS technologies is required. Without this critical cog, helping to ensure the safety and reliability of these systems and platforms, the full capabilities of ADS technology will not be
This SAE EDGE™ Research Report identifies key unsettled issues of interest to the automotive industry regarding the new generation of sensors designed for vehicles capable of automated driving. Four main issues are outlined that merit immediate interest: First, specifying a standardized terminology and taxonomy to be used for discussing the sensors required by automated vehicles. Second, generating standardized tests and procedures for verifying, simulating, and calibrating automated driving sensors. Third, creating a standardized set of tools and methods to ensure the security, robustness, and integrity of data collected by such sensors. The fourth issue, regarding the ownership and privacy of data collected by automated vehicle sensors, is considered only briefly here since its scope far exceeds the technical issues that are the primary focus of the present report. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are preliminary investigations of new technologies. The three technical issues identified in
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