Tier 1 Canada Research Chair - Horia Hangan, PhD

Canada Research Chair in Adaptive Aerodynamics

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

horia.hangan@ontariotechu.ca

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous or driverless vehicles, are designed to sense their environments and move safely with little or no input from humans. But there is still much to be learned about how they adapt to harsh weather conditions.

Dr. Horia Hangan, Canada Research Chair in Adaptive Aerodynamics, is developing new on-vehicle weather data collection systems to better understand how weather stressors (such as wind, rain, snow and fog) affect autonomous vehicles. By conducting both on-road testing and physical simulations in a climactic wind tunnel, he and his research team are developing weather design cases to improve the aerodynamics, safety and sensor functionality of these vehicles. Their research will support Canada’s autonomous vehicle industry, make these vehicles safer and accelerate their use in regions that experience weather extremes.