Elyse Roth | Reporter

Bowling Green State University’s assistant professor of computer science, Qing Tian has been aiming to improve the safety and efficiency of self-driving cars.

Tian spends many hours driving, especially with this 90-minute commute to campus. According to an article written by the university, he dreams of spending his commute to campus relaxing or preparing for the week ahead, while his vehicle navigates him to campus.

Over the summer, Tian began a two-year research project aimed to reduce the time it takes for self-driving vehicles to detect objects. It will be funded by a $149,343 grant from the National Science Foundation.

“When it comes to autonomous driving, if you can save even a few milliseconds, that can mean the difference between life and death,” Tian said. 

Jung Im Amy Choi, a third-year student who is assisting Tian in his research, linked the neural networks to be like the brain of a two-year-old even though it is a complex and complicated process to correct.

“They consist of tens or hundreds of layers of neurons trained to detect objects and then perform the correct response, such as stopping at a red light,” the university’s article read.