Smart Car Researcher Wants to Eliminate Stoplights

Christos Cassandras, a professor at Boston University, has spent over 40 years studying how machines make decisions, with a focus on self-driving cars and their safety. He has developed mathematical models to prove that self-driving cars can behave safely before being tested on roads. His research aims to eliminate traffic lights by using coordinated communication between vehicles. Cassandras has worked on a project near his office in Boston, where he simulated the effects of removing traffic lights and showed improvements in traffic flow and safety. He acknowledges that widespread adoption is still far off, but he is testing similar systems using small robots to bring the idea closer to reality.

• Christos Cassandras is a professor at Boston University and an IEEE Life Fellow.
• He has received the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society Outstanding Research Award for his work on autonomous vehicles.
• He has developed models to prove the safety of self-driving cars using measurable quantities like position, speed, and distance.
• He has tested a project near his office in Boston, where he simulated the effects of removing traffic lights and showed improvements in traffic flow and safety.
• He is working to bring the idea of coordinated autonomous vehicles closer to reality using small robots.

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