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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Accessible lavatories</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625301</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Air Transportation Division (AFS-200) needs the ability to certify lavatories that are 
accessible to passengers with disabilities by FY28. This research will focus on conducting 
a feasibility study to assess the space requirements for accessible lavatories and their 
compatibility with various sized aircraft. In the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FY2024 Appropriations bill, Congress wrote: Aircraft Accessibility Research.—The Committee directs the FAA to research how 
transport category aircraft accessibility can be improved. This research should include 
how manual and powered personal wheelchairs can be safely secured in the passenger 
seating areas of transport category airplanes, determining the optimal safe evacuation 
processes for persons with disabilities, including persons who use wheelchairs, and 
determining how various types of transport category airplanes could most safely and 
efficiently be retrofit for accessible lavatories. The FAA shall include the resource needs 
for such research in future budget justifications. (Ref: Senate report 118-70).
This project will focus on how various designs of varying types of transport category 
airplanes could most safely and efficiently be retrofit for accessible lavatories.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:16:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625301</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Emergency Egress for Passengers with Disabilities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2529966</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will review current industry evacuation procedures and conduct human participant research to determine optimal evacuation processes for passengers with disabilities. This project will focus on limited-mobility and non-mobile passengers occupying either aircraft seats or personal wheelchairs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:30:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2529966</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Integration of Personal Wheelchairs into the Cabin</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536228</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Abstract not available.This project will focus on empirical testing, data collection, and analysis of occupants using personal wheelchairs secured with restraint systems. The study seeks to address critical issues such as ensuring safe egress when a wheelchair is positioned near an exit row and performing static load analysis for various wheelchair types and occupant characteristics. Building on prior research and external studies, this effort will produce validated test plans, impact data, and final recommendations to support informed FAA certification decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:42:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536228</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advanced Mobility Impaired Travelers: Autonomous Wheelchair Pilot Deployment at the BWI Airport - Phase 3</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2525404</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Morgan State University’s autonomous wheelchair (AW) pilot program is designed to allow travelers with disabilities to comfortably navigate a busy transportation hub without the need for an attendant. To effectively implement and launch the autonomous wheelchair in a dynamic, real-world setting, researchers from Morgan State University are engaging in a phased series of testing and validation exercises at Baltimore/Washington International Airport to critically evaluate reliability and success. The autonomous wheelchair was created by modifying a conventional powered wheelchair with additional instruments that provide perception, navigation, and steering capabilities similar to technologies used in autonomous vehicles. Researchers installed cameras and LIDAR sensors for perception, and a general-purpose, single-board computer for processing.

The autonomous wheelchair is in its fourth iteration, representing a culmination of more than five years of research and development conducted by technicians from a variety of backgrounds. Currently, the wheelchair is designed only to operate on a guided path, which ensures reliability. A future iteration, which is currently in development, will be able to navigate the facility with or without the use of the guided path for maximum flexibility in deployment. The goal is to facilitate autonomous travel in large buildings such as airports, hospitals, museums, college campuses, and military bases. The pilot program started with one wheelchair and has expanded to three operational wheelchairs. During the early phases of testing, wheelchair passengers are limited to researchers only.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:22:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2525404</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Comprehensive CAV Research, Working Group Support, and Pilot Studies
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2397866</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report reviews the developments in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) technologies across various Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and CAV pilot projects in the United States. The review identifies growing implementation of C-V2X communication technologies and fruitful collaboration between various DOTs, academia, and private sector partners. The report also reviews the  Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) CAVe-In-a-Box, a portable piece of equipment enabling rapid C-V2X deployment by integrating traffic signal controllers, roadside units (RSUs), V2X hubs (or another open-source application), onboard units (OBUs), and other devices. Several open-source tools are designed to support CAV deployment are also discussed. The report then describes the Autonomous Wheelchair (AW) project at Morgan State University, which strives to improve mobility for individuals with disabilities in complex surroundings like airports using sensors and cameras for autonomous navigation. The report concludes with a discussion of the next phases of the project, emphasizing future collaboration and raising awareness of other practical applications of CAV technologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2024 11:23:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2397866</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Safety, Empowerment, and Dignity: Improving the Airport Journey of Customers Using Wheelchairs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226019</link>
      <description><![CDATA[For wheelchair users, the airport experience can often be challenging and frustrating. A survey conducted by Paralyzed Veterans of America in 2022 found common issues include negotiating check-in, locating an agent for assistance if needed, clearing security, navigating to the gate, and boarding the aircraft. This experience is often complicated by the fact that users may be separated from their wheelchair, and, during this time, the wheelchair may be lost, damaged, or delayed. ACRP Research Report 210: Innovative Solutions to Facilitate Accessibility for Airport Travelers with Disabilities (2020) and other research have identified many of these barriers, but it is unclear if current strategies to address these challenges are successful and if additional strategies may be needed. Research is needed to develop resources to assess current practices and improve the wheelchair user experience at airports with safety, empowerment, and dignity.

The objective of this research is to develop a handbook to help airport industry practitioners meet the needs of wheelchair users and enhance their personal safety, empowerment, and dignity. The handbook should allow practitioners to adapt guidelines and recommended practices to their unique conditions (e.g., airport size, resource availability, governance structure, and applicable laws).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:01:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226019</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>On-Demand Human Services Transportation for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and Low-Income Individuals in the City of Boulder</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077904</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The City of Boulder will receive funding to develop autonomous route optimization software to provide on-demand, wheelchair-accessible transportation to older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. The software will process ride requests and re-organize routes in real time to expand capacity, reduce costs and better meet rider needs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2022 09:48:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077904</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Project #1 (Proj.#1): Automated Wheelchair Securement Project #2 (Proj.#2): Passenger Mobility and Contactless Fares Solution</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067950</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will demonstrate the use of the Quantum automated wheelchair securement system on buses at 5 transit agencies in rural and urban service environments. Proj. #2: will offer smartphone app that integrates with CCPT's dispatching/scheduling/fare payment system. Use of the system and app will mitigate exposure to the COVID-19 virus and provide operational efficiency.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:26:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2067950</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>City of Tucson, Innovative Contactless Mobility Systems for Transit</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2062810</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will  upgrade the existing fare payment systems to allow riders to use mobile pay, tap, and go with cards; install automated wheelchair securement systems to improve the mobility, confidence, and independence of non-ambulatory riders; and design contactless services that will help riders feel confident, safe, and mitigate driver exposure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:56:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2062810</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Side Impact Test Procedure Development for Wheelchair Systems</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2050271</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will develop a standard side impact sled test procedure and assessment for manual and powered wheelchairs using standard and automated tie down and restraint configurations]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2022 10:24:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2050271</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Campus as a Living Lab: Discovering the Comfort of Wheelchair Users in the Pedestrian Network by Experiential Learning with High School Students</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1874587</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Although the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) shifted our paradigm for accessibility, the built environment is still not friendly for wheelchair users. The main challenge is that enforcement of ADA guidelines primarily focuses on the design requirements, while actual usability is less emphasized in current practice and evaluation is limited largely to walk-through investigations. In this research project, we will draw on Disability Studies and disability-led design to develop and implement an experiential learning-based curriculum to teach students  about disability-related transportation inequities. The curriculum aims to introduce the mobility barriers encountered by wheelchair users—one of the largest minority user groups of transportation infrastructure. The curriculum also covers the educational contents of open source-based data acquisitions (e.g., Raspberry Pi,  sensors) as well as data analytics (e.g., descriptive statistics, data visualizations) with multiple hands-on examples. After completing each module, the research team  will use the University of Texas at Arlington campus as a living lab for high school students via which they will demonstrate their data acquisition tools and present the results. This series of educational activities will provide experiential learning opportunities for upper-level high school students interested in careers in urban planning and engineering and introduce them to basic concepts in Disability Studies and disability-led design. Ultimately, the curriculum will motivate high school students to develop citizen science-based  solutions and to be aware of disability-related barriers when they encounter other transportation inequities in the future.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2021 17:12:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1874587</guid>
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