A five-block section of 11th Avenue will be closed to traffic to allow automakers, suppliers and other teams to demonstrate applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle based collision avoidance,  signal violation warning, and autonomous vehicle operation.

World Congress delegates will be able to watch these demonstrations in a narrated, theater-like environment in front of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Monday, November 17 - Thursday, November, 20

11th Avenue Theater Demonstrations:  10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (see below for list)
11th Avenue Theater Show:  1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The 11th Avenue Theater will feature exciting active vehicle demonstrations from the following organizations:

Safety System Demonstrations

Several automobile manufacturers and suppliers will be demonstrating the latest in active safety systems.  These prototype systems are largely based on vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-roadside communication.

 General Motors

GM will showcase its latest developments in V2X communications-based active safety and driver assistance features.  These features provide drivers with 360 degrees of awareness around the vehicle and can detect and react to dangerous traffic situations on the roadway.  Participants will experience in-vehicle driver warnings (visuals, sounds and seat vibrations) as well as automatic crash avoidance in response to dangerous roadway events.   

KOSTAL
Dr. Harry J. Asher, Director of Product
Management and Emerging Technologies
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VIIDAS Safety! — Kostal VII Driver Assistance System (VIIDAS) Live Demonstration

Kostal will demonstrate several dedicated short range communications (DSRC)-based driver assistance safety applications. Examples include: Forward Collision Warning, Intersection Collision Warning, Signal Violation Warning, and Left-Turn Assistance. These demonstrations will allow observers in the 11th  Avenue Theater venue to see first-hand how DSRC will reshape the future of vehicle safety.

Mercedes-Benz Research &
Development North America, Inc.
Gordon Peredo
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Mercedes-Benz Showcases Integrated Safety

Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. (MBRDNA) continues to support the development of Daimler’s vision of accident-free driving.  One step to bring this vision closer to reality allows vehicles to communicate with each other and the infrastructure through DSRC—dedicated short range communications.  DSRC can extend a driver’s information horizon to avoid potentially dangerous situations, before their onset, improving overall safety.

MBRDNA will demonstrate a prototype communications-based safety system in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.  The demonstration highlights the potential of DSRC, in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz active safety systems and cooperating with roadside equipment, to enable proactive and preventive responses to avoid potential intersection collisions.

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND INRIA
Deb Schmid, Principal Specialist
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Cooperative Autonomy for Safety and Mobility 

Southwest Research Institute is conducting a $5 million internal research and development program, called the Southwest Safe Transport Initiative (SSTI), to improve safety in urban traffic environments. SSTI is charged with developing enabling technologies to provide cars, trucks, and tractors with active safety and autonomous capabilities. Southwest Research Institute and the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) of France will be jointly demonstrating how an autonomous vehicle can cooperate with a human-driven vehicle using DSRC to develop a shared situational awareness, thereby increasing the safety and mobility on the road.

NISSAN
Roy Goudy, Senior Principal Engineer
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Nissan's Cooperative Safety Technologies 

Nissan will demonstrate a prototype advanced crash avoidance systems at the 11th Avenue Theater. Nissan is currently developing infrastructure-based cooperative safety systems which utilize the vehicle infrastructure integration (VII) network. 

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE and INRIA
Ryan Lamm, Manager
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Cooperative Autonomy for Safety and Mobility 

Southwest Research Institute is conducting a $5 million internal research and development program, called the Southwest Safe Transport Initiative (SSTI), to improve safety in urban traffic environments. SSTI is charged with developing enabling technologies to provide cars, trucks, and tractors with active safety and autonomous capabilities. Southwest Research Institute and the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) of France will be jointly demonstrating how an autonomous vehicle can cooperate with a human-driven vehicle using DSRC to develop a shared situational awareness, thereby increasing the safety and mobility on the road.

TOYOTA
Akio Masegi, Project Manager,
IT & ITS Planning Division
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URL: http://www.toyota.co.jp/

Latest Intelligent Vehicle Technologies

Toyota Motor Corporation will demonstrate its state-of-art vehicle technologies at the 2008 ITS World Congress in New York. It is Toyota’s vision to promote the improvement of “safety,” “comfort,” and “environmental impacts” of surface transportation systems through introduction of new technologies.  Recent developments on sensing technologies and communication-based safety systems allow us to further enhance the potential of ITS vehicle technologies. During this event, Toyota plans to demonstrate its latest vehicle systems using on-board sensing systems and 5.9GHz DSRC communication technologies between vehicles and between vehicle and roadside infrastructure.

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA , INC .
Mr. Chu-Hee Lee
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URL: http://www.volkswagengroupamerica.com/

Volkswagen Group of America will demonstrate the autonomous driving vehicle equipped with cutting-edge sensors and artificial intelligence. In addition, World Congress delegates will experience wireless communication-based safety and mobility applications that illustrate the potential benefits of a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration network.

 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DEMONSTRATONS

Several teams will be demonstrating their autonomous vehicles—including driverless vehicles that participated in the DARPA Urban Challenge—as part of the 11th Avenue Theater.  While it will be many years before we might ever expect to see autonomous vehicles on our highways, much of the technology that makes such autonomous operation possible will find its way into next generation production vehicle safety systems. This demonstration will bring together leaders in the field of autonomous vehicles to highlight what the future of surface transportation might look like. The Autonomous Vehicle teams consist of Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, Southwest Research Institute, and Virginia Tech University (invited).