PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. – June 8, 2020 – Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners announced a strategic partnership with Kennesaw State University (KSU) to further research in smart mobility technologies. The first collaboration will be focused on open-source Dedicated Short-Range Communications Units (DSRC) to further advance Vehicle-2-Everything (V2X) research. Curiosity Lab is a 5G enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta.
Nicknamed the “Owl Box,” KSU’s open-source DSRC units can track data such as how fast vehicles are moving, roadway specifications, GPS data and much more. The units are designed to be inexpensive and will feature open-source software to create new opportunities for startups, entrepreneurs, and municipalities/road authorities to test and explore emerging V2X technologies.
KSU researchers selected Curiosity Lab as one of its primary test locations for the DSRC units due to the Lab’s autonomous vehicle test track and commitment to supporting and facilitating innovation. In a future world where vehicles, roadways, traffic signals, phones and buildings will independently and automatically communicate with one another, it will be critical to understand capabilities, opportunities and limits of technology.
“Curiosity Lab’s autonomous vehicle track, active 5G and strong partner network provides a unique opportunity for Kennesaw State to test this emerging technology in a real-world setting,” said Betsy Plattenburg, executive director of Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners. “Not only will the Lab help KSU ensure its DSRC units are ready for broader use, the Lab’s collaborative environment will help to get broad exposure for this developing technology helping to accelerate its deployment.”
“The information gathered by DSRC units such as our ‘Owl Box’ and the creation of V2X technologies will improve the condition and safety of roads and cities across the globe,” said Dr. Billy Kihei, research professor at KSU. “Creating an open-source option and working with Curiosity Lab, we want to make this technology affordable and readily available to developers to create their own applications. The potential is unlimited. We want to unleash innovation.”
About Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners
Curiosity Lab is a 5G enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The centerpiece of the lab is a 1.5-mile test and demo track which provides a real-world environment to explore emerging technologies. Additional infrastructure includes a network operations center, smart poles, DSRC units, dedicated fiber and a 25,000 square foot tech incubator. Additional information can be found at www.curiositylabptc.com
About Kennesaw State University
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 38,000 students. With 13 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
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