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Gamestorm

Transportation Safety Working Group, 2/6/2012

Students in the Transportation Safety Working Group played the Atomize game from Gamestorming, page 147. In this game, components of the transportation system were written on Post-it notes. The Post-it notes were posted to a whiteboard, with lines between the objects indicating relationships. The items on the Post-it notes are listed below. Most items on the Post-it notes are repeated to show the path to the lowest level items. In the actual game, each item was present as a single note, with a very messy set of lines connecting the objects.

A Five-Fingered Consensus (page 170) showed that the group felt that more work could be done on this problem, and it will be pursued in discussion sections.

Auto Unit --> Driver --> Senses --> Driver Psychology
Auto Unit --> Driver --> Senses --> Driver Impairment
Auto Unit --> Driver --> Senses --> Telecommunication System  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Motor  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Electrical System  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Steering  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Signals (Vehicle)  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Sensors (Vehicle)  
Auto Unit --> Car --> Telecommunication System  
Roads --> Signals (Road)  
Roads --> Sensors (Road)  
Roads --> Telecommunication System  
Roads --> Self-Maintenance --> Drainage  
Roads --> Banked Turns  
Roads --> Tunnel  
Roads --> Bridge  

This concept helped students see that there are many possible relationships between the driver's senses and sensors and telecommunication devices in the car and in the road. The car and the road might communicate directly, with the car informing the driver of emergencies, traffic problems, and other events.

Gamestorm Results, Paul Szauter, 2/8/2012

I thought about the results of this exercise, and I realized that there were three essential components, each with three aspects. These are:

  1. Drivers. Drivers have sensors (their senses), signals (language and gesture), and telecom (cell phones and similar devices).
  2. Cars. Cars have sensors, signals (turn signals, brake lights, horn), and telecom.
  3. Road. The road is everything that the car moves on, including tunnels and bridges. The road includes all emergency services and traffic control. The road has sensors, signals (lights, signs, and displays), and telecom.

Here is a table outlining all possible interactions, which are described below the table.

  Driver1 Car1 Driver2 Car2 Road1 Road2
Driver1   1. Car1-Driver1
interface		 2. Driver1-Driver2
interface		 3. Driver1-Car2
interface		 4. Driver-Road1
interface		 5. Driver-Road2
interface
Car1     6. Car1-Driver2
interface		 7. Car1-Car2
interface		 8. Car1-Road1
interface		 9. Car1-Road2
interface
Driver2       10. Car2-Driver2
interface		 11. Driver2-Road1
interface		 12. Driver2-Road2
interface
Car2         13. Car2-Road1
interface		 14. Car2-Road2
interface
Road1           15. Road1-Road2
interface
Road2            

1. Car1-Driver1 interface. The interface between car and driver has evolved over the history of the automobile, and includes the steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, transmission, turn signals, and dashboard display. It also includes car-driver interaction through telecom, such as remote keyless entry and cell phone interaction with the car. This is an area of constant innovation by the automobile companies.

2. Driver1-Driver2 interface. The interface between two drivers includes language and gesture over short ranges, but also telecom via cell phones or other personal technology.

3. Driver1-Car2 interface. Several students informed me that OnStar allows limited remote control of a vehicle in the event that it is stolen. In general, the ability of a driver to control another vehicle directly is limited. It is possible to consider whether this ability should be widely granted to emergency personnel.

4. Driver1-Road1 interface. Current drivers receive information from the road through their senses from signs, signals and displays. Drivers have the ability to transmit information to the road through telecom, for example by calling 911. There are a number of possible projects that would enhance the driver's ability to communicate with the road.

5. Driver1-Road2 interface. Current drivers receive information about road conditions in remote locations thorough signs, signals, displays and telecom (traffic alerts and weather conditions, for example). It is possible to imagine new ways in which this information is conveyed, or additional information being sent.

6. Car1-Driver2 interface. Cars currently transmit information to other drivers through signals (brake lights, turn signals, horn, etc.). Some of these signals are initiated by intentional driver action (horn, turn signals), others are automatically sent (brake lights). There is room for innovation here.

7. Car1-Car2 interface. Cars currently do not transmit information to each other directly. There is room for innovation here; all innovation must take into account a mixed fleet of smart and dumb vehicles during the transition.

8. Car1-Road1 interface. Cars currently transmit information to the road by interacting with road sensors. These interactions typically do not involve telecom, although trucks interact with some weigh stations using transponders. There is room for innovation here.

9. Car1-Road2 interface. Cars currently do not transmit information to remote road locations. There is room for innovation here.

10. Car2-Driver2 interface. This is the same as the Car1-Driver1 interface (1).

11. Driver2-Road1 interface. This is the same as the Driver1-Road1 interface (4).

12. Driver2-Road2 interface. This is the same as the Driver1-Road2 interface (5).

13. Car2-Road1 interface. This is the interaction between a car and its immediate location on the road. This is the same as the Car1-Road1 interface (8).

14. Car2-Road2 interface. This is the interaction between a car and a remote location on the road. This is the same as the Car1-Road2 interface (9).

15. Road1-Road2 interface. Here parts of the road communicate with other parts of the road, for example, when the detection of a train by a sensor triggers a warning signal at a railroad crossing well ahead of the train. There is room for innovation here.