One system devised at Virginia Tech is called iCACC, short for
Intersection management using Cooperative Adaptive Cruise
Control. Another version, created by University of Texas at
Austin computer science researchers, is called Autonomous
Intersection Management (AIM). Simulations run by Rakha’s
research team have found that employing iCACC to direct traffic
can reduce total delays at intersections by up to 90 percent and
diminish fuel consumption by as much as 45 percent. The Virginia
Tech team’s latest findings on iCACC are being presented at the
92nd Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, which is
wrapping up today. In concept, iCACC would be a unit installed
at intersections and roundabouts that receives location, speed
and acceleration data from autonomous vehicles when they are
within 600 feet of it. Analyzing the same data for other
vehicles within range along with current road and weather
conditions, the iCACC controller would determine the optimum
strategy for getting all the vehicles through