Vnomics Corp., providers of True Fuel, announced it is providing matching funds, data and expertise to support research at the University of Rochester into the use of machine learning to improve the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles. The company said its support is part of a grant awarded by the National Science Foundation for its Young Innovators Internship Program.
“Our collaboration is focused on using the extensive data we collect in real world commercial vehicle operations, combined with the expertise in machine learning and optimization at the University of Rochester, to improve our understanding of fuel use,” said Lloyd Palum, CTO at Vnomics. “A primary benefit of the Vnomics True Fuel optimization solution is in the actionable analytics it provides that enable fleets to improve driver and vehicle performance. This research will look at additional ways to use machine learning to further improve fuel efficiency.”
Machine learning is the method of combining statistical data, real-time analysis and algorithms to find patterns in data in order to deliver instant recommendations. Vnomics explained it uses algorithms to provide feedback to drivers and fleets in order to help achieve optimal fuel economy.
“While we already use machine learning principles to determine a particular vehicle’s potential fuel economy,” Palum added. “Our goal with this collaboration is to generate a new machine learning model that can actually predict fuel consumption. Vnomics technology is unlike static fuel saving technologies and goes beyond telematics systems because it has significant computing power on the vehicle itself for optimizing performance. Its highly advanced onboard computing framework is uniquely designed to leverage machine learning technologies.”
The National Science Foundation promotes Big Data research efforts between universities and industry. The goal of the Young Innovators Internship Program is to identify opportunities for early career researchers to interact with companies to collaboratively explore how to apply data science approaches to solve industry challenges.
The Vnomics collaboration with the University of Rochester is part of the Northeast Big Data Hub based at Columbia University and involving accredited universities in across the northeastern US. A Northeast Big Data Hub evaluation committee selected Vnomics and the University of Rochester based on the strength of interaction between the student intern and the host organization, the merits of the proposed project, and the potential for future collaboration between the host organization and the academic institution.
The recipient of the National Science Foundation grant and the matching funds being provided by Vnomics is University of Rochester PhD. student Shupeng Gui in the Department of Computer Science.
