In-vehicle instrumentation developed by CTD

Center for Technology Development

About CTD

The Center for Technology Development specializes in developing, manufacturing, implementing, and maintaining innovative systems for transportation research. The center collaborates with other centers and groups within VTTI to provide innovative research support. It is continuously developing advanced systems for data collection with the goal of collecting a wide range of detailed data while remaining unobtrusive to participant drivers.

The Center for Technology Development is comprised of five different groups, including Mechanical Systems, Advanced Development, Data Acquisition, Data Collection and Data Services. These groups provide technical support for various projects, as well as the Smart Road.

About the Director

Andy Peterson Andy Petersen is Director of the Center for Technology Development at VTTI. His current duties include the development of all the Institute's research equipment hardware and software, as well as implementation.

Since 1991 Petersen has designed a variety of hardware and software products. He currently leads a group of engineers and software specialists at VTTI. He has experience with real-time data acquisition hardware, software, and firmware, machine vision programming, algorithmic programming, control and automation, and has been involved in a wide variety of human factors studies at VTTI and is an expert at covert installation of video surveillance, data collection hardware, and in-vehicle displays.

Current Work

Insrumentation installed in the trunk of an experimental vehicleCTD is providing the primary management and technical development for:



CTD is providing technical support for the following projects:


  • 40-Teen (CASR)
  • WetVis (CVIS)
  • Study of Heavy Vehicle Crashes and Near-Crashes In Support of the Development of Crash Reduction Countermeasures: Phase II Study (CTBS)
  • CICAS (CVIS)
  • Aspheric Mirror (CTBS)

Currently, CTD is developing VTTI's "next generation" data acquisition system as well as the development of the Institute's newest data acquisition software, "SOL." The Center is also continuing the development of the "Road Scout" lane tracking software.

Previous Work

A forward looking object detection system100-Car Study

The Center for Technology Development played a key role in CASR's 100-Car Study by manufacturing and installing a data acquisition system (DAS) into each vehicle. The Center will continue to develop, test, implement and maintain these state-of-the-art vehicle- and infrastructure-based systems for transportation research.

Drowsy Driver Warning System Field Operational Test

CTD worked alongside the Center for Truck and Bus Safety (CTBS) to test a Drowsy Driver Warning System (DDWS) in a Field Operational Test (FOT). The Center installed a modified 100-Car Study DAS into 38 trucks to monitor driver drowsiness.

Rear Lighting Follow-On

Completed by the Light Vehicle Safety group in the Center for Automotive Safety Research (CASR), this project evaluated the potential of a new rear signaling system warning drivers of a slowing or stopped vehicle. The Center for Technology Development designed a multi-PC system for collection of high resolution video in addition to standard 100-Car data.