The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is seeking out blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve highway safety and operations.
In a Feb. 3 broad agency announcement (BAA), FHWA put out a request for research and development (R&D) for “revolutionary approaches” to highway tech. FHWA said that blockchain could provide a platform for secure, scalable, and real-time information sharing. Specifically, the agency hopes to apply this tech to traffic operations, freight data management, highway pricing, and route optimization.
“Blockchain technology also has the potential to transform the connected and automated vehicle industry or freight logistics providing a platform to share a variety of information from the infrastructure and vehicles in a secure manner,” the BAA states.
FHWA also wants information about AI-based computational applications that can improve safety, mobility, and maintaining good repair. The agency is seeking AI that demonstrates the ability to explain and predict system performance, streamline data processing, improve sensors that assess current conditions of infrastructure, and assist expert decision-making on the operations of highway systems.
Proposals from vendors will be accepted through March 20 and FHWA plans to award contracts in September
