2nd Hi-Drive SUMMER SCHOOL: Navigating the Future with Advanced and Safe Automated Driving 

Welcome to the second edition of the Hi-Drive Summer School on ‘Navigating the Future with Advanced and Safe Automated Driving’, set against the picturesque coastal backdrop of Athens! This two-day event, scheduled for 25 – 26 September 2024 at Amarilia Hotel in Vouliagmeni, is proudly organised by the EU project Hi-Drive and the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) of the National and Technical University of Athens.  

Focused exclusively on the Implementation and Testing of Higher Levels of Automation, this second edition aims to delve deeper into the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the dynamic field of Automated Driving (AD). Prominent speakers from both academia and industry, and renowned experts from European projects and international initiatives will deliver lectures to ensure participants gain insights into the forefront of AD research and practice.  

Geared towards young researchers, PhD students, and professionals in the field of AD, the Hi-Drive Summer School 2024 program will allow all participants to expand their expertise and networks, and learn more about cutting-edge advancements in autonomous vehicle systems. To find out what this event offers, have a look at the 2023 Hi-Drive Summer School presentations here: https://www.hi-drive.eu/events/summerschool_1/.

Agenda

>>>  The detailed agenda with all featured speakers is available HERE

DAY 1 | 25 September
Session A: Advancements in Perception and Motion Prediction Planning and Testing

• Fascinating sensor behavior models: enabling the disruption from ADAS to AD || Stefan Schneider, Professor for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, University of Applied Sciences Kempten
• The key to proactive traffic interaction: Challenging sequential integration of prediction and planning – a survey perspective || Steffen Hagedorn – PhD Student AI for Automated Driving at Bosch
• Enhancing vehicle vision for automated driving in low visibility conditions with Artificial Intelligence: insights and solutions from the European research project AI-SEE || Werner Ritter, Researcher and Senior Expert, Mercedes-Benz GA 

Session B: Advancements in Collective Perception Design and Testing

• Microclouds for Cooperative Perception in Vehicle Platoons || Claudio Ettore Casetti, Full Professor, Department of Control and Computer Engineering – Politecnico di Torino,  
• Cybersecurity Design for Collective Perception || Krishna Ashok, Senior Engineer at Volvo Cars Corporation

DAY 2 | 26 September

Keynote: 7 Foundational Principles for Automated Driving || Alexandre Massoud Alahi, Associate Professor & Director of the Visual Intelligence for Transportation (VITA) Laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Session C: Human-in-the-loop and human factors 

• Motion Comfort in AVs: Understanding, Modelling and Enhancing it || Georgios Papaioannou, Assistant Professor on Motion Comfort in AVs, Delft University of Technology 
• Estimating driver takeover performance using gaze data || Rafael Goncalves, Research Fellow, University of Leeds 
• Teleoperation: research needs and human factors challenges || Lena Plum, Psychologist, Federal Highway Research Institute – BAST 

Session D: Human Factors Research for Autonomous Driving Safety Argumentation

• Human factors research for standards and regulation || Ilse Harms, Senior Advisor Human Factors & Vehicle Automation, RDW
• Human road user behaviour modelling to support vehicle automation || Gustav Markkula, Professor & Chair in Applied Behaviour Modelling, University of Leeds

Poster Sessions

• Stochastic Model Predictive Control of an Autonomous Vehicle Approaching Unsignalized Crosswalks with Pedestrians ||  Branimir Škugor, Assistant Professor, Department of Robotics and Automation of Manufacturing Systems, University of Zagreb
• On-Road Autonomous Vehicle Navigation In a Dynamic Environment Using Deep Reinforcement Learning, Towards Fuel Consumption Optimisation || Elpida Kelesi, PhD. candidate, Intelligent Systems and Software Engineering Labgroup – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Occupant’s Postural Stabilisation While Being Driven In Automated Vehicles || Chrysovalanto Messiou, PhD. candidate, Technical University of Delft
• Predictive Models Based On Machine Learning Techniques In Connected Systems To Improve Traffic Flow And Road Safety || Gerard Franco-Panades, PhD. candidate, Servei Català de Trànsit (GENCAT-SCT), CARNET, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) 
• Robust Multimodal and Multi-Object Tracking for Autonomous Driving Applications || Nil Muntè, ADAS & AV Software Engineer, IDIADA 
• Modelling Interactions Between Cyclists And Motorists at Unsignalised Intersections || Ali Mohammadi, PhD candidate, Chalmers University of Technology
• Pedestrian Intention Prediction Using Computer Vision and Machine Learning || Mohsen Azarmi, Doctoral Candidate Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds

WHY ATTEND the Hi-Drive Summer School 2024 

• Meet and interact with experts and peers in the AD field 
• Expand your expertise and network 
• Gain exposure to state-of-the-art techniques and methods 
• Present or discuss your research work and receive feedback from academics and highly qualified professionals in the field 

>>> PLEASE REGISTER HERE <<<  

Registration is now closed.
Participation at the event is free of charge, but registration is compulsory.

Important Dates:
Poster Abstract Submission Deadline: 12 April 2024
Notification of Acceptance: 19 April 2024
Registration Deadline: Closed 
Summer School Dates: 25 – 26 September 2024 

Accommodation:
There are no available rooms at the Amarilia Hotel.  Alternative accommodation options (single room):

• Divani Apollon Palace and Thalasso from 690 eur / night with breakfast https://divaniapollonhotel.com/
• Divani Escape from 310 eur / night with breakfast https://divaniescape.com/
• Athenian Riviera Hotel from 255 eur / night with breakfast https://arhotel.gr/  (1.6 km distance)
• Sea View from 155 eur / night with breakfast https://seaview.gr/  (4.3 km distance)
• Congo Palace from 140 eur / night with breakfast https://www.congopalace.gr/en/  (4.7 km distance)
• Palmyra Beach from 145 eur / night with breakfast https://www.palmyra.gr/en/  (5.5 km distance)
• Emmantina from 155 eur / night with breakfast https://emmantina.gr/  (5.7 km distance)
• Palace Hotel from 105 eur / night with breakfast https://www.palacehotel.gr/en/ (6.7 km distance)

Access to the Venue

Reaching Amarilia Hotel from Athens International Airport
By taxi
There is a 24-hour taxi service at the Arrivals Terminal at Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos). Taxis are available at the designated area located at Exit 3 of the Arrivals level. The trip to Amarilia Hotel takes approx. 20 minutes. The cost is 20-25 € with Tariff 1 (05:00 am – 00:00) and 25-30 € with Tariff 2 (00:01 – 04:59 am). FREENOW and Uber services are also available 24/7.
By car
You drive on the highway until the KOROPI – MARKOPOULO sign and exit to the left. Then you follow the signs to GLYFADA and drive along the Vari – Koropi Avenue at the end of which there is a sign VOULIAGMENI where you turn left. After 300m, you reach a traffic light; you turn right in the small street 15m after the traffic lights, then right in the first street, and then right to Agiou Nikolaou Street. This is the VOULIAGMENI area and it is where our hotel is located. The distance from the Airport is 19km (20 minutes driving distance).
By bus
There is a 24-hour bus service (X96) at the Arrivals Terminal at Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos). The trip to the closest bus station to Amarilia Hotel (named ‘Pigadakia’) takes approx. 35-40 minutes and the cost is 3,20 €. From the bus station ‘Pigadakia’ you turn left on the main avenue and walk 10 minutes before you arrive at Amarilia Hotel, on the right side of the main avenue.

Reaching Amarilia Hotel from Athens City Centre
By taxi
The trip from downtown Athens to Amarilia Hotel takes approx. 30 minutes (depending on traffic levels) and costs 15 -20 €. You can use FREENOW or Uber services.
By public transport
From Syntagma metro station you can get the metro Line 2 (Red Line) with direction Ellinikon, where you will disembark. From Ellinikon metro station, you can either get a bus to the hotel or a taxi. You could take E22 st. Metro Elliniko – Saronida (Express) bus line and stop at “Aghios Nikolaos” (in Greek “Άγιος Νικόλαος”). The hotel is 250 m (3 mins) away.