We are setting up a new research center on drive by wire

A new Smart Driving Solutions research center has been created at the Department of Control Engineering. A team of 13 scientists led by Ing. Tomáš Haniš, Ph.D., aims to change the paradigm and to prepare the ground for the new technology of active dynamic driving, which has long been used in aviation industry. Experts from the department have been focusing on a long-term drive-by-wire concept, in which the driver does not control the wheels or car engine directly, but through an electronic control unit that has full control over the chassis. It is a technological revolution already underway by the aviation industry (so-called fly by wire systems are common in transport aircraft and fighters), but the automotive industry has not yet done so because of the conservative approach of the carmakers. Ing. Tomáš Haniš, Ph.D., is a researcher and developer who is coming to CTU with experience from Porsche Engineering Services and Rolls-Royce (aerospace division).

Motivation for the creation of the research center was the current situation in the automotive industry. While the designers gradually add ABS, ESP, ASR and other to the cars, on the other hand, they invest a lot of money in the development of fully autonomous control.

The Smart Driving Solutions Center has a budget of CZK 8.5 million allocated mainly for personnel spending in 2019. The Center also plans to establish partnerships with major commercial partners in the automotive and aviation industry and to seek grant support from public sources in the Czech Republic and the EU .