The snowplow driver-assist system sponsored by MnDOT and the LRRB received the Robert C. Johns Research Partnership Award from the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota.
Driver-assist systems, help keep snowplow drivers on the road even in low-visibility conditions. The technology includes GPS, digital mapping systems, vehicle-mounted sensors, and feedback systems for the plow driver. Numerous vehicles using the systems have been deployed in Minnesota and Alaska. In addition to plows, the technology has been tested in other specialty vehicles such as patrol cars and ambulances. It has also been used to support the operation of bus rapid transit routes on bus-only road shoulders or in dedicated bus lanes throughout the Twin Cities.
Project Team
University of Minnesota: Max Donath, Nate Davies, Brian Davis, Annette Fritze, Chen-Fu Liao, Nichole Morris, Gordon Parikh, Katelyn Schwieters
Dakota County: Kevin Schlangen
MnDOT: Nathan Anderson, James Bogardt, Jed Falgren, Chase Fester, Cory Johnson, Sue Lodahl, Tim Murphy, Daniel Rowe, Michael Simon, Bruce Thompson