This paper proposes a method that improves autonomous vehicles localization using a modification of probabilistic laser localization like Monte Carlo Localization (MCL) algorithm, enhancing the weights of the particles by adding Kalman filtered Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information. GNSS data are used to improve localization accuracy in places with fewer map features and to prevent the kidnapped robot problems. Besides, laser information improves accuracy in places where the map has more features and GNSS higher covariance, allowing the approach to be used in specifically difficult scenarios for GNSS such as urban canyons. The algorithm is tested using KITTI odometry dataset proving that it improves localization compared with classic GNSS + Inertial Navigation System (INS) fusion and Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization (AMCL), it is also tested in the autonomous vehicle platform of the Intelligent Systems Lab (LSI), of the University Carlos III de of Madrid, providing qualitative results.

This paper presents an analysis of the implementation and performance of a deep learning model based on Recurrent layers and Variational Auto Encoder model (VAE) architecture for prediction of future local trajectory and maneuver. The proposed method uses the encoder part of the VAE to represent the vehicle’s surroundings agents behavior in time, taking advantage on the fact that VAE encodes similar situations or states close in the latent space and the generative properties of the VAE decoder, that is used to generate naturalistic driving trajectories. Furthermore, the variance of the predicted trajectory is estimated using the statistical properties of VAE model, increasing it if the input data is noisy or unrealistic and decreasing it if the model is certain about the prediction. The model is trained and evaluated with a public dataset. The results show that the proposed architecture outperforms state of the art methods in trajectory prediction error and provides a variance estimation that depends on input quality.

The expansion of electric vehicles in urban areas has paved the way toward the era of autonomous vehicles, improving the performance in smart cities and upgrading related driving problems. This field of research opens immediate applications in the tourism areas, airports or business centres by greatly improving transport efficiency and reducing repetitive human tasks. This project shows the problems derived from autonomous driving such as vehicle localization, low coverage of 4G/5G and GPS, detection of the road and navigable zones including intersections, detection of static and dynamic obstacles, longitudinal and lateral control and cybersecurity aspects. The approaches proposed in this article are sufficient to solve the operational design of the problems related to autonomous vehicle application in the special locations such as rough environment, high slopes and unstructured terrain without traffic rules.

This work presents a novel platform for autonomous vehicle technologies research for the insurance sector. The platform has been collaboratively developed by the insurance company MAPFRE-CESVIMAP, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and INSIA of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The high-level architecture and several autonomous vehicle technologies developed using the framework of this collaboration are introduced and described in this work. Computer vision technologies for environment perception, V2X communication capabilities, enhanced localization, human–machine interaction and self awareness are among the technologies which have been developed and tested. Some use cases that validate the technologies presented in the platform are also presented; these use cases include public demonstrations, tests of the technologies and international competitions for self-driving technologies.

This paper proposes a new method for estimating the extrinsic calibration parameters between any pair of multi-beam LiDAR sensors on a vehicle. Unlike many state-of-the-art works, this method does not use any calibration pattern or reflective marks placed in the environment to perform the calibration; in addition, the sensors do not need to have overlapping fields of view. An iterative ICP-based process is used to determine the values of the calibration parameters, resulting in better convergence and improved accuracy. Furthermore, a setup based on the CARLA simulator is introduced to evaluate the approach, enabling quantitative assessment with ground-truth data. The results show an accuracy comparable with other approaches that require more complex procedures and have a more restricted range of applicable setups. This work also provides qualitative results on a real setup, where the alignment between the different point clouds can be visually checked. The open-source code is available at https://github.com/midemig/pcd_calib.

This article delves into the acceptance of autonomous driving within society and its implications for the automotive insurance sector. The research encompasses two different studies conducted with meticulous analysis. The first study involves over 600 participants involved with the automotive industry who have not yet had the opportunity to experience autonomous driving technology. It primarily centers on the adaptation of insurance products to align with the imminent implementation of this technology. The second study is directed at individuals who have had the opportunity to test an autonomous driving platform first-hand. Specifically, it examines users’ experiences after conducting test drives on public roads using an autonomous research platform jointly developed by MAPFRE, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The study conducted demonstrates that the user acceptance of autonomous driving technology significantly increases after firsthand experience with a real autonomous car. This finding underscores the importance of bringing autonomous driving technology closer to end-users in order to improve societal perception. Furthermore, the results provide valuable insights for industry stakeholders seeking to navigate the market as autonomous driving technology slowly becomes an integral part of commercial vehicles. The findings reveal that a substantial majority (96% of the surveyed individuals) believe that autonomous vehicles will still require insurance. Additionally, 90% of respondents express the opinion that policies for autonomous vehicles should be as affordable or even cheaper than those for traditional vehicles. This suggests that people may not be fully aware of the significant costs associated with the systems enabling autonomous driving when considering their insurance needs, which puts the spotlight back on the importance of bringing this technology closer to the general public.