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News Tip: Robotics Expert Available To Comment On Autonomous Vehicles

Obama administration announced a $4 billion infusion into this field.

The Obama Administration announced a $4 billion, decade-long plan Thursday to expedite the development and adoption of autonomous vehicles on U.S. roads.
•    Quote:

"As a robotics professor who has been working on driverless car development for a number of years, I applaud the Obama administration for its recent announcement of the $4 billion infusion into this field that will revolutionize transportation as we know it, "says professor Mary "Missy" Cummings, an expert on drones and autonomous vehicles.

"Going forward, it is critical for the government to gain expertise not only in the development of this technology, but also the testing and evaluation of this technology. Despite recent advancements, driverless cars are still relatively immature and not formally tested, which is paramount given the safety-critical nature of such environments."

•    Bio
Missy Cummings, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, specializes in drones and autonomous vehicles. Backed by a GoogleX project, Cummings is trying to observe cognitive activity during prolonged driving. As drivers spend a lot of time behind the wheel, they become disengaged, creating a challenge to integrate the human driver into a deceivingly complex autonomous system.
http://mems.duke.edu/faculty/mary-louise-cummings

•    Video samples:
-- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    http://www.cc.com/video-clips/cbke7r/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-missy-cummings
-- The Colbert Report
         http://www.cc.com/video-clips/omkngv/the-colbert-report-missy-cummings

•    For additional comment, contact Cummings at:
(919-660-5306); missy.cummings@duke.edu

(Note: Cummings is in Washington, D.C., and may not be able to immediately pick up any phone inquiries.)

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Media Contact: Ken Kingery
(919) 660-8414
ken.kingery@duke.edu
                                                      

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Duke experts on a variety of other topics can be found at http://newsoffice.duke.edu/resources-media/faculty-experts.