Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and their productization are a major
focus of the automotive and mobility industries as a whole. However, despite
significant investments in this technology, CAVs are still at risk of
collisions, particularly in unforeseen circumstances or “edge cases.” It is
also critical to ensure that redundant environmental data are available to
provide additional information for the autonomous driving software stack in
case of emergencies. Additionally, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies
can be included in discussions on safer autonomous driving design. Recently,
there has been a slight increase in interest in the use of
responder-to-vehicle (R2V) technology for emergency vehicles, such as
ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars.
R2V technology allows for the exchange of information between different types
of responder vehicles, including CAVs. It can be used in collision avoidance
or emergency situations involving CAV responder vehicles. The benefits of
R2V are not limited to fully autonomous vehicles (e.g., SAE Level 4), but
can also be used in Level 2 CAV scenarios. However, despite the potential
benefits of R2V, discussions on this topic are still limited.
This chapter aims to provide an overview of R2V technology and its
applications for CAV systems, particularly in the context of
collision-avoidance features. The responder vehicles in question can be
autonomous or non-autonomous. It is hoped that it will provide valuable
information and knowledge on vehicle connectivity and automation in the
current automotive and mobility ecosystem, enabling the development of safer
and more reliable autonomous driving technology. The chapter is intended for
both industrial and academic experts and is expected to stimulate further
discussions on the development and standardization of R2V technology.