AVR – VEMI Lab

Expanded Situational Awareness Without Vision: A Novel Haptic Interface for Use in Fully Autonomous Vehicles Publication

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:55:15 +0000

VEMI graduate student Paul Fink was published first author for his work “Expanded Situational Awareness Without Vision: A Novel Haptic Interface for Use in Fully Autonomous Vehicles” with VEMI staff Dr. Nicholas Giudice, Dr. Richard Corey, and RJ Perry. The abstract states that “this work presents a novel ultrasonic haptic interface to improve nonvisual perception and situational awareness in applications such as fully autonomous vehicles.” Read the full paper here:

Wiredfocus highlights VEMI and the U.S. DOT Inclusive Design Challenge

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:10:39 +0000

VEMI placed 3rd in the national competition held by the U.S. DOT to innovate on increasing accessibility in the upcoming technology of autonomous vehicles. For this competition, named the Inclusive Design Challenge, VEMI developed AVA, the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant; a software that gives the user end-to-end assistance on their rideshare- from ordering it all the way to exiting the vehicle at the destination. For more information about the team’s work, visit the article, here:

Zip-Education posts about VEMI’s Inclusive Design Challenge Win

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:05:31 +0000

VEMI placed third in the U.S. DOT Inclusive Design challenge, winning $300,000 with their software, AVA. AVA stands for the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant, and allows the user end-to-end assistance in using a rideshare with an autonomous vehicle. Interviews by University of Maine’s President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and VEMI co-founders Dr. Nicholas Giudice and Dr. Richard Corey are included. To read the article, click here:

News Center Maine Covers VEMI in the U.S. DOT Inclusive Design Challenge

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:58:00 +0000

News Center Maine featured VEMI in an article and News piece entitled “Umaine researchers create software that will make rideshare inclusive”. Here, they explain how AVA, VEMI’s Autonomous Vehicle Assistant software, can help those who are blind or visually impaired use an autonomous vehicle. The article also discusses VEMI’s 3rd place win in the U.S. DOT Inclusive Design Challenge. For more information, see the article here:

Bangor Daily News on VEMI’s Inclusive Design Challenge Win

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:53:21 +0000

VEMI was featured in Bangor Daily News on July 27th, 2022. The article discusses the lab’s work for the U.S. DOT’s Inclusive Design Challenge, involving AVA, the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant. Learn more about AVA and the Inclusive Design Challenge here: Bangor Daily News- VEMI

Fox Bangor News Recognizes VEMI’s 3rd Place Win in the DOT’s Inclusive Design Challenge

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:48:46 +0000

VEMI was featured in a news cast by Fox Bangor about the Inclusive Design Challenge and their application AVA- the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant. Interviews from Director Dr. Richard Corey, Chief Research Scientist Dr. Nicholas Giudice, and undergraduate student Emily Hanscom were included. Read/watch more, here: Fox Bangor News: VEMI

VEMI wins 3rd in the Inclusive Design Challenge

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:39:31 +0000

The Inclusive Design Challenge, put on by the U.S. DOT, looked to create accessible solutions for autonomous vehicles from end-to-end (beginning of their trip from calling a ride to end of the trip where they are at their destination). To help with this, VEMI developed AVA, the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant, an application that identifies hazards, uses haptic feedback and voice over to guide the user to their ride, and allows the user to customize their experience based off their accommodations. Read more about VEMI’s project, the other winners, and the Inclusive Design Challenge, here:

VEMI Inclusive Design Challenge- University of Maine

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:33:01 +0000

The VEMI lab won 3rd place in the Inclusive Design Challenge put on by the U.S. DOT. The article listed below, written by the University of Maine, discusses the project, AVA, and the different stages of the design challenge. Read more here: 91�� VEMI News

VEMI Lab researchers earn federal prize, invite to White House for software that makes self-driving cars more accessible

VEMI Lab researchers earn federal prize for software that makes self-driving cars more accessible

aforbes — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 18:05:39 +0000

The VEMI lab at the University of Maine earned third place in a national competition and an invitation to the White House for developing an inclusive smartphone software platform that will provide navigational assistance to people with visual impairment and seniors who want to use self-driving cars for ride-sharing and hailing services.

VEMI will receive $300,000 for winning the prize in the second phase of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s for its Autonomous Vehicle Assistant (AVA) smartphone technology.

Read the full story at 91�� News.

Fink Publishes Op-Ed in Bangor Daily News

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 14:25:07 +0000

Graduate Research Assistant Paul Fink published a new op-ed in the Bangor Daily News. The piece, “Self-driving vehicles are our future. 91�� is showing how” argues that Maine’s policymakers should capitalize on VEMI’s AV projects to make the state a leader for autonomous vehicle research and deployment. Read the article: .