Computerized Driver Challenge

Lesson Overviews

Digital Resources

Introduction

1. FDA Laser Toys: How to Keep Kids Safe
2. U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: Tartan Racing: A Multi-Modal Approach to the DARPA Urban Challenge Archived 2013-05-20 at the Wayback Machine 2007, page 4 

Activity 1: What Is an Autonomous Vehicle?

In this first activity, students are introduced to the challenge and a fictional city. In the letter, the city’s mayor explains that she would like to introduce autonomous taxis to the city; however, the mayor is particularly concerned about the safety of these vehicles. In this activity, students investigate basic engineering designs that go into developing a vehicle, specifically, building a vehicle that protects the riders in the event of a crash. Students brainstorm components that ensure safety in a vehicle and then design a vehicle prototype using an egg to test their prototype’s safety. A drop- test experiment with an egg will be used to represent the forces of vehicle impact acting on an occupant. 

Activity 2: Safety: Comparing Human Drivers to AV Drivers

Teams participate in two experiments to test their own reaction times. They then find the average reaction and compare that to the class data. Students use this information to consider how an AV might compare with a human driver and investigate how distracted driving affects a person’s reaction time. These two experiments require adequate space for teams, such as an outdoor space or indoor gymnasium, where students are not distracted by other teams’ noise. 

During the Activity,

Step 17:

Distracted driving websites, Step 17:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Distracted Driving website
• National Highway Safety Traffic Administration Distracted Driving website

Sharing and Interpreting, Step 10:

Distracted Driving Videos:

• Hershel Venkat Talluri, Distracted Driving (2:25)
• TEDx Talks, The Risks of Distracted Driving | Brad Gorski | TEDxStanleyPark (8:35)
• Detroit Public TV, Distracted Driving PSA | AAA Safety Video (2:14)

Activity 3: Safety: How Do Autonomous Taxis “See”?

Students explore lidar (“light detection and ranging”). Students use a tool and technique that resembles a lidar to create a map. To do this, they will create a secret landscape inside a shoebox using modeling clay. They then graph their points and analyze their data.

Reflecting and Summarizing

Step 21

• Neon Science, How Does LiDAR Remote Sensing Work? Light Detection and Ranging,
• Geospatial World, How is LiDAR remote sensing used for Autonomous vehicles?

• Velodyne Lidar, What is lidar?

Activity 4: Safety: Teaching a Car to Interpret What It “Sees”

In this activity, students explore how AVs interpret what they “see.” They will explore the concept of machine learning and investigate how a computer learns. Students first discuss how they recognize one another. Then, students use Google’s Teachable Machine to learn how a computer recognizes images by creating either an image model or auditory model.

During the Activity

Step 9

• Google, Teachable Machine
• Google, Teachable Machine Tutorials.

Reflecting and Summarizing, Step 15

• Bloomberg Originals, These Humans Are Teaching Cars to Drive

Activity 5: Safety: Can a Machine Be Moral?

Students review a letter from a concerned citizen that was sent to the city council’s office. In the letter, the woman describes her concern over an autonomous taxi being able to make decisions if faced with a difficult scenario involving a quick response and possible human injury or death. She is fearful that since these decisions are automated, it could prove to be problematic in the very pedestrian and family-friendly town they live in. Students read the letter, conduct research, form opinions about machine morality, and then discuss their thoughts about machine decision-making as a class.

Students also read an article about the ethics of self-driving cars and consider how the information impacts the presentation that they are creating for the mayor.

During the Activity

Step 5

• Moral Machine

Step 7

Information about the safety or autonomous vehicles as compared to human-driven vehicles:

• Scientific American, Are Autonomous Cars Really Safer Than Human Drivers?
• Axle Addict, Advantages and Disadvantages of Driverless Cars
• Semiconductor Engineering, People Vs. Self-Driving Cars
• Valiente Mott, Self-Driving Cars: Pros and Cons
• Environmental Conscience, Advantages & Disadvantages of Self-Driving Cars
• Carsurance, 24 Self-Driving Car Statistics & Facts

Activity 6: Creating an Operational Design Domain

Students design an operational design domain (ODD) for their city. The ODD includes the set of conditions in which the autonomous taxis operate to ensure safe operation. To explore ODDs, students first map a route from their desks to the door that is constrained by operating conditions (in this case, they can only take right turns). Students then determine what they think the ODD for the city’s autonomous taxis should be so that it can be incorporated in their team’s own final presentation.

Sharing and Interpreting

Step 12

• SAE Mobilus, The key to autonomous vehicle safety is ODD

Activity 7: Economics: How Will Autonomous Taxis Impact the Economy?

Part of the fictional mayor’s letter details a tax break that the city can take (and use for infrastructure) if they decide to adopt the autonomous taxi program. However, there are multiple populations in the city the mayor needs to consider. In this activity, students receive a letter from a local senior citizen group who is thrilled at the idea of incorporating autonomous taxis. The members express that the local bus route does not service their area well and is a half-mile walk from the local retirement home. Students review the economics of bringing in autonomous taxis by exploring a few statements representing a wide range of viewpoints and dealing with various kinds of public-policy actions they will need to evaluate in terms of their own views and preferences.

Activity 8: Brainstorming Our Presentation

In this activity, students work with their teams to brainstorm the best way to present to the city council. They will be asked to create a visual presentation—whether it be a Prezi, PowerPoint slideshow, or video that can be used at the upcoming meeting to explain the benefits of bringing autonomous taxis to the city. To determine what type of presentation to make, they will examine the rules and format of city council meetings and discuss how to make the most impact with their presentations.

Presentation software:

• Prezi
• Google Slides
• Canva
• Powtoon

Activity 9: City Council Presentations

Student teams give their presentations to the city council. This is an opportunity to invite volunteers, parents, community members, and/or students from other grades.