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Transport causes one-fifth to one-quarter of all global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Road travel is responsible for three-quarters of transport emissions, meaning that road vehicles alone cause around 15% of global CO2 emissions.
Despite initiatives to make cities more walkable and promote the use of public transport, road vehicles aren’t going anywhere. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by 2070 global transport will double, car ownership will increase by 60%, and the demand for aviation will triple.
With a growing global population, increasing incomes, and growing freight volumes, we need a better solution than “just walk there.” The world needs transport that can be powered without polluting the planet.
Powering greener cars
At Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), Xi Chen is among the researchers whose work may help address this problem. “As a researcher, I’m driven by the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to contribute to solutions that can have a positive impact on society and the environment,” Chen says.
Xi Chen is working to improve lithium-ion batteries for better stability and performance. One of the biggest problems in the development of energy storage is the need for materials with higher energy densities, faster charging capabilities, longer life cycles, and improved safety.
Chen’s work focuses on energy storage, one of the key challenges in the global energy transition. She’s working to improve lithium-ion batteries, the most commonly used battery technology today.
“What separates lithium-ion batteries from other batteries is their high and fast-growing energy density, relatively low self-discharge, and the ability to be recharged thousands of times, making them ideal for portable electronics and electric vehicles,” Chen explains. But the technology is also plagued with challenges, such as well-publicised cases of battery fires and concerns around material waste due to their relatively short life cycle.
“One of the biggest problems in the development of energy storage is the need for materials with higher energy densities, faster charging capabilities, longer life cycles, and improved safety,” says Chen. “The scalability of production and the environmental impact of battery manufacturing and disposal are also significant obstacles.”
To address these challenges, Chen is trying to develop a special electrolyte that improves the cycling performance of a specific type of lithium battery. With her colleagues at XJTLU, she has already demonstrated the new electrolyte’s potential to make lithium batteries stabler and higher performing.
Assoc Prof Dr Xi Chen
[email protected]
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Smarter cars
The future of transport isn’t just about going green. By some estimates, almost 95% of road accidents are caused by human error. Despite the major hurdles facing them, driverless cars could improve road safety and make transport more efficient.
Fan Zhu, an expert in robotics at XJTLU, says that AI-driven robotics have enormous potential to improve human life and enterprise. “My research emphasises enhancing human-robot interaction, enabling robots to work more effectively and intuitively alongside humans in dynamic environments,” says Zhu.
That includes on the road. Zhu says autonomous navigation could reduce accidents, optimise route planning and fuel consumption, and offer greater freedom and mobility for people with physical limitations.
Fan Zhu is developing algorithms for sensor fusion and environmental perception to improve autonomous vehicles.
But there are complex challenges when it comes to designing systems clever enough to navigate a dynamic, ever-changing world. “The real world is unpredictable, with constantly changing factors like weather, lighting conditions, and traffic patterns,” says Zhu. “An autonomous system has to adapt to these variations in real time, requiring sophisticated perception and decision-making capabilities.”
The challenge is made even more complicated by the presence of moving obstacles, including other cars, pedestrians, and animals. An autonomous driving system has to sift through data gleaned from sensors to interpret what’s around it and make fast decisions in these environments.“
Sensors can produce noisy or ambiguous data due to interference, occlusion, or limitations in resolution,” says Zhu. “Developing algorithms that can effectively interpret and make decisions based on uncertain information is a significant challenge.” Add to that the difficulties of navigating in three dimensions, as well as the difficulty of processing all this information in real time, and it becomes clear how big the challenge is.
There’s also a moral dimension to programming autonomous vehicles, says Zhu, since they have to make decisions where human lives are at stake.
Zhu’s work involves developing algorithms for sensor fusion — melding visual, acoustic, and tactile cues, for example — and environmental perception, with a view to improving the accuracy and reliability of these vehicles.
Asst Prof Dr Fan Zhu
[email protected]
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Taking to the water
These sorts of innovations won’t just be useful on land. Xiaohui Zhu from XJTLU's department of computing says autonomous navigation could also revolutionise marine transport.
“By leveraging advanced technologies in AI, sensors, and GPS, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) can navigate the seas and rivers more efficiently than ever before,” says Zhu. That means a “significant reduction in human error,” which is a major cause of transport accidents on waterways.
Xiaohui Zhu focuses on integrating AI and robotics in USVs to make them better adapted to diverse aquatic environments.
Zhu’s work focuses on integrating AI and robotics in USVs to make them better adapted to diverse aquatic environments — in particular, enabling them to sense their environment accurately and make quick, complex decisions for autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance.
“Traditional methods based on deterministic rules can solve some problems in autonomous navigation, but there are too many uncertainties and unknown scenarios,” says Zhu. “Relying on AI methods is an important approach for addressing these uncertainties.”
Zhu’s work isn’t all offshore. Together with Higer Bus Company Limited and the automotive vision company Foresight, Zhu is co-leading a major project to develop multi-sensor 3D perception for autonomous buses. “This research will significantly strengthen the sensing ability of vehicles, especially in adverse weather conditions, which is essential for autonomous driving,” Zhu concludes.
Assoc Prof Dr Xiaohui Zhu
[email protected]
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Further information
XJTLU Inquiries
www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
