Computer science’s Paranjothi receives over $4M in grants to study autonomous vehicles in rural, tribal areas

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University’s Dr. Anirudh Paranjothi, a  Department of Computer Science assistant professor, was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $4 million to conduct research surrounding autonomous vehicles in rural and tribal areas.

Paranjothi is the co-PI on “Tribal & Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Equity, Livability, and Safety (TRAVELS)” alongside the project’s PI, Dr. Joshua Li of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

Paranjothi and Li’s team received $4 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation — the second largest share of a $15 million grant led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison — to address rural and tribal communities’ transportation needs. The TRAVELS program aims to create a model for those areas, which face unique transportation-related challenges in comparison to urban areas.

“Our team will be focusing on designing the robust multi-channel communication platform to maximize connectivity coverage and communication reliability aligned with the DIRECT scope,” Paranjothi said. “Our team will integrate C-V2X, cellular, Starlink satellite and WiRover, and develop low-cost roadside stations supported by solar panels and edge computing suitable for rural deployment. Furthermore, we will prioritize security and system optimization throughout the project lifecycle to guarantee the platform's safe, efficient, and resilient operation in the face of potential threats and attacks.”

The TRAVELS project will be carried out in three, two-year phases: Research, demonstration and deployment. During the research phase, Paranjothi and his team are building a knowledge of transportation challenges while also addressing any gaps before the demonstration and deployment phases.

“This includes understanding technical challenges, such as physical infrastructure compliance and conditions, availability of high-definition maps for AVs and communication infrastructure,” Paranjothi said. “We’re also cognizant of the sociological challenges of deploying AVs in rural and tribal communities.”

The second, or demonstration, phase will involve selecting key AV services for trial operations. Paranjothi explained that this will be when their team will integrate their research findings to assess feasibility and identify real-world challenges and solutions for deployment.

“The final phase — deployment — will focus on full-scale service implementation at selected locations,” Paranjothi said. “This includes workforce development, user education and other critical components for sustainable AV operations.”

In addition to being part of the $4 million federal grant, Paranjothi, as a PI, also received $60,000 from the Southern Plains Transportation Center in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation, along with equivalent matching funds. This grant will go toward Paranjothi’s work, “Preparedness of Autonomous Vehicles in Rural and Tribal Areas.”

“Rural and tribal communities in the United States face significant transportation challenges, including limited access, safety concerns, and economic barriers,” said Paranjothi, adding that more than half of all rural census tracts rank in the 81st percentile or higher for transportation insecurity, according to U.S. DOT data.

“This metric underscores the difficulties individuals in these areas face in consistently, reliably, and safely accessing necessary destinations for their daily lives.”

Paranjothi explained that while only 19% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, those regions endure 47% of all roadway fatalities. In fact, the fatality rate on rural roads is twice that of urban roads. Adding to the challenges is emergency response times—they’re more than twice as long in rural areas.

“The advent of autonomous vehicles presents an opportunity to address these issues, but their successful integration hinges on a comprehensive understanding of community readiness and infrastructure preparedness,” Paranjothi said. “This project aims to evaluate the feasibility and implications of AV deployment in these unique contexts.”

Paranjothi’s multifaceted approach to this project is already underway: his team has talked with stakeholders to identify challenges pertinent to rural and tribal transportation; they’ve leveraged sensor technologies on the OSU 3D data vehicle to evaluate how prepared physical infrastructure is for AV deployment in rural and tribal areas; and they’re developing a multi-channel communication platform to assess coverage and reliability of the connectivity infrastructure.

While continuing to build on this research, Paranjothi’s team is also looking forward to outreach workshops and training, where they can share the findings of their project on the state-of-the-art development and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles.

“Our findings will inform decision-making for policymakers, transportation planners and community leaders,” Paranjothi said. “Our work will enable them to develop strategies that maximize the potential benefits of AVs while mitigating challenges.”