John Talbot

Human drivers will be present on roadways for many years to come, even as fully autonomous vehicles become more prevalent. The insights garnered from research on keeping autonomous vehicles safe are relevant and applicable to human-piloted automobiles as well. John Talbot, graduate student in Mechanical Engineering, is investigating how to apply optimal control algorithms to keep human drivers safer in challenging driving scenarios. By continuously evaluating the driver’s actions amid the current road environment, the vehicle can intervene if the situation becomes unsafe.

John completed his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University in 2016. During his time at Auburn, his work focused on improved algorithms for GPS positioning as well as
vehicle state estimation.