Research Review with Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D. and Heye Huang, Ph.D.
Speaker(s): Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D., Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Heye Huang, Ph.D., Research Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Presentation Title: Roadway Friction Screening and Measurement with Automated Vehicle Telematics and Control
Research: Roadway Friction Screening and Measurement with Automated Vehicle Telematics and Control
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET
Continuing Education Units (CEU): .1*
* Please confirm with your professional organization and employer to ensure that this event qualifies
Abstract: This project develops an automated roadway friction screening and measurement system using telematics-based cooperative perception and customized AV control. The system offers a low-cost, automated alternative to traditional friction measurement methods, enabling frequent, wide-area monitoring without the need for dedicated instrument calibration.
Leveraging Physics-Enhanced Residual Learning (PERL), the AV control module achieves high slip ratios at peak Tire-Road Friction Coefficient (TRFC) values, improving estimation accuracy. Cooperative perception aggregates telematics data from connected AVs and regular vehicles (RVs), mitigating individual measurement errors and expanding coverage across diverse road conditions. A network smart routing strategy is proposed to optimize AV deployment for friction sensing, utilizing real-time traffic and environmental data without incurring extra resource costs. Field validation will be conducted at the Level-3 CAV testbed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, using vehicles equipped with FHWA CDA CARMA capabilities.
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Xiaopeng (Shaw) Li is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an affiliate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). He served as the director of National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) before. He is a recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award. He has published over 110 peer-reviewed journal papers. He has served as the PI or a co-PI for a number of federal, state, and industry grants, with a total budget of around $30 million. His major research interests include automation, connectivity, and sensing in transportation and related systems. He received a B.S. degree (2006) in civil engineering with a minor in computer engineering from Tsinghua University, China, an M.S. degree (2007), and a Ph.D. (2011) degree in civil engineering along with an M.S. degree (2010) in applied mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urban- Champaign, USA.
Heye Huang is a Research Associate with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received the B.E. degree from Central South University, Changsha, China in 2018, and the Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China in 2023. Her current research interests include connected and automated vehicles, risk assessment, decision making and motion prediction.