Prototyping and validating hardware–software components, sub-systems and systems within the intelligent transportation system-of-systems framework requires a modular yet flexible and open-access ecosystem. This work presents our attempt to develop such a comprehensive research and education ecosystem, called AutoDRIVE, for synergistically prototyping, simulating and deploying cyber-physical solutions pertaining to autonomous driving as well as smart city management. AutoDRIVE features both software as well as hardware-in-the-loop testing interfaces with openly accessible scaled vehicle and infrastructure components. The ecosystem is compatible with a variety of development frameworks, and supports both single- and multi-agent paradigms through local as well as distributed computing. Most critically, AutoDRIVE is intended to be modularly expandable to explore emergent technologies, and this work highlights various complementary features and capabilities of the proposed ecosystem by demonstrating four such deployment use-cases: (i) autonomous parking using probabilistic robotics approach for mapping, localization, path-planning and control; (ii) behavioral cloning using computer vision and deep imitation learning; (iii) intersection traversal using vehicle-to-vehicle communication and deep reinforcement learning; and (iv) smart city management using vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and internet-of-things.

Self-Driving Vehicles (SDVs) are increasingly popular, with companies like Google, Uber, and Tesla investing significantly in self-driving technology. These vehicles could transform commuting, offering safer, and efficient transport. A key SDV aspect is motion planning, generating secure, and efficient routes. This ensures safe navigation and prevents collisions with obstacles, pedestrians, and other vehicles. Deep Learning (DL) could aid SDV motion planning. AI tools and algorithms, like Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Machine Learning (ML) and DL can learn from data to create effective driving strategies, enhancing SDV adaptability to changing conditions for improved safety and efficiency. This survey gives a DL-based motion planning overview for SDVs, covering behaviour planning, trajectory planning, and End to End Learning (E2EL). It assesses various DL-based behaviour and trajectory planning methods, comparing and summarizing them. It also reviews diverse E2EL techniques including Imitation Learning (IL) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) gaining traction lately. Additionally, this review emphasizes the significance of two crucial enablers: datasets and simulation deployment frameworks for SDVs. The survey compares strategies using multiple metrics and highlights DL-based SDV implementation challenges, including simulation and real-world use cases. This article also suggests future research directions to address E2EL and DL-based motion planning limitations. The presented article is an excellent reference for scholars, engineers, and decision-makers who have an interest in DL-based SDV motion planning.

This paper presents a decentralized algorithm that generates continuous-time trajectory online for a swarm of robots based upon model predictive control. To generate collision-free trajectory, temporally distinct safe regions are formed such that the robots are confined to move within these safe regions to avoid collisions with one another. The distinct safe regions are temporally linked by generating a B-spline. Additionally, to ensure that collisions are avoided, collision-regions that the robots have to stay outside are also generated distinctly. A non linear program (NLP) with an objective to make the robots stay outside the collision-regions and stay within the safe regions is formulated. The algorithm was tested in simulations on Gazebo with aerial robots. The simulated results suggest that the proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and can be used for online planning in moderate sized multi-robot systems.

Road traffic accidents result in over 1.35 million fatalities annually, highlighting the urgent need for safer transportation systems. Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEVs), powered by advancements in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), offer a promising solution by enhancing road safety and efficiency. This study focuses on trajectory planning for AEVs, a critical component for safe navigation in dynamic environments. Using Autoware.ai, an open-source modular platform, we developed a novel interface integrating custom point cloud (PCD) and vector maps for precise localization and navigation. The proposed method was tested in both simulation and real-world scenarios on the SRM IST campus, addressing challenges such as the “sim-to-real gap” caused by discrepancies between simulated and real-world conditions. Quantitative analysis of planned, simulated, and measured trajectories revealed significant improvements in localization accuracy and trajectory adherence, with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values for longitudinal and lateral positions reduced to 0.839 m and 0.1044 m, respectively. Velocity and steering angle tracking demonstrated minor deviations due to actuator constraints and road conditions. This research provides valuable insights into bridging the sim-to-real gap in AEV trajectory planning, paving the way for safer and more reliable autonomous driving systems.