Bridging Human Emotion and Autonomous Vehicle Control: Reinforcement Learning Enhancements in the CARLA Simulator

Author

Timothy Marion Jude Lyons, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

8-1-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee

Second Advisor

Constantine Tarawneh

Third Advisor

Horacio Vasquez

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles are a key component for an evolution in transportation as they may lead to increased safety and productivity. As autonomous vehicles advance industries will look to further increase customer satisfaction through personalized experiences for autonomous vehicle passengers. Reinforcement learning may be the key to success for autonomous vehicles. The development of autonomous vehicles, utilizing reinforcement learning, which consider the emotions of the passenger, will be a breakthrough for the automotive industry. This thesis presents a unique approach to autonomous vehicles developed with reinforcement learning which consider the human emotions of the passenger. It is a stepping stone to a state of art approach to autonomous vehicles. An existing repository for an autonomous vehicle, simulated in CARLA, is enhanced and modified to better fit this experiment. The intent is to generate human responses more effectively and collect a pilot dataset for future advancements.

Comments

Copyright 2024 Timothy Marion Jude Lyons. https://proquest.com/docview/3115595147

Recommended Citation

Lyons, Timothy Marion Jude, "Bridging Human Emotion and Autonomous Vehicle Control: Reinforcement Learning Enhancements in the CARLA Simulator" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1603.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1603