United Kingdom
Autonomous public transport system can become the future of smart and sustainable urban transport
Traffic Technology Today 15.10.2021
The world's first driverless public transport technology with zero emissions, including autonomous electric "capsules" that can travel both by road and by rail, was launched by the British startup Urban.MASS. This technology has the potential to revolutionize urban mobility around the world; reducing congestion, air pollution, costs and carbon emissions.
The revolutionary technology developed by Urban.MASS will, for the first time, combine door-to-door and call-on-demand delivery with high-speed, affordable and environmentally friendly public transport to ensure seamless and carbon-neutral passenger and cargo travel in cities.
Cities around the world are urgently looking for sustainable and affordable public transport solutions that meet the needs of providing zero carbon emissions and clean air, supporting a new era of mass urbanization. As a result, about 100 countries are planning more than 1,000 new metro projects worth more than $2.2 trillion by 2030. Floc technology from Urban.MASS is designed to be significantly cheaper and faster in construction, with much smaller physical dimensions compared to the projects of traditional metro lines, high-speed and conventional tram.
The world's first fully operational facility is scheduled to open in 2025 at the Locomotion Railway Museum in the northeast of England.
Floc Urban technology.MASS includes hundreds of lightweight, self-contained, zero-emission electric capsules that pick up passengers from anywhere in the city using ground tracks or existing road networks. In order to travel through the busiest areas of urban centers at high speeds, the capsules are lifted onto the Duo Rail elevated track through ultra-modern Urban.MASS stations, while passengers do not need to leave the capsule. Capsules can be "assembled" together into connected trains or work individually depending on the task.
The Duo Rail elevated track powered by solar panels can run over existing roads and infrastructure, taking up 70% less space than a typical urban light rail system. This allows infrastructure to "tiptoe" through densely populated urban areas, minimizing the need for demolition of buildings or the construction of expensive tunnel networks, leaving space for roads, green corridors, bike paths or pedestrian areas below.
Urban.MASS plans to develop Floc Duo Rail public transport networks in at least 10 cities around the world by 2030 to meet the growing demand. Cities in the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa are discussing with the company the possibility of deploying Floc Urban.MASS networks.
In the UK, a number of cities have been identified for Urban.MASS deployment, including Bristol, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff.
Germany
Volkswagen's Krupp promotes intelligent mobility solutions
Traffic Technology Today 13.10.2021
The Volkswagen Group of Companies presents solutions for efficient, sustainable, safe and convenient movement of people and goods at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg. The focus is on autonomous driving, intelligent use of vehicle data, and integration of electric vehicles into the power grid.
Together with their truck and bus brands Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, MOIA, CARIAD, Elli and MAN, provide a forum for stakeholders and experts with live demonstrations of innovative projects, discussion panels, lectures and expert presentations.
Autonomous ridesharing
For Volkswagen, autonomous driving is a key technology that allows creating new mobility solutions and improving road safety. Volkswagen, MOIA and ARGO AI are currently testing an autonomous ride sharing system as part of a pilot project in Hamburg that is scheduled to launch in 2025. At its World Congress, MOIA uses interactive modeling to show how autonomous fleet sharing can contribute to the mobility revolution. Using the ID model.BUZZ AD in 1:2 scale, Volkswagen also allows visitors to experience various scenarios of using autonomous shuttles to transport goods and people. MAN Truck & Bus and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) also present the results of their joint project Hamburg TruckPilot. Both companies demonstrated at the HHLA container terminal in Altenwerder that the use of autonomous trucks is technologically possible in real conditions and that they can be effectively integrated into logistics processes.
Data exchange
At the Congress, CARIAD provides information about data-based services that help increase traffic intensity and safety. Anonymous data on CARIAD vehicles already allows the authorities of Europe and the USA to optimize road maintenance and winter maintenance. By 2030, up to 40 million vehicles will be connected to the cloud, which will provide the basis for secure access to anonymous data about vehicles and the environment. Volkswagen is also participating in the newly created mobile data space, examples of which will be presented at the ITS World Congress. Through the data space, companies and organizations can safely and confidently exchange data, which allows them to implement and promote innovative mobility concepts.
Integration of electric vehicles into the power grid
Another key topic is the systematic transition to electric mobility. At ITS World Congress, Elli will demonstrate how electric vehicles become part of the energy system through the use of high-voltage batteries. Bidirectional charging also enhances the role of electronic mobility in the energy transition: electricity generated from renewable energy sources can be stored in the car and, if necessary, fed back into the power supply system. This not only reduces consumers' dependence on the state grid, but also reduces costs and reduces CO2 emissions. Volkswagen Group brands are likely to offer this technology from 2022 in models based on the MEB modular electric drive matrix.
ITS World Congress: Outsight presents LiDAR software
Traffic Technology Today 14.10.2021
Outsight has announced the release of a special version of its award-winning flagship product for ITS: Augmented LiDAR Box (ALB). This is the first real-time LiDAR software that allows developers and integrators of ITS applications and intelligent infrastructure to seamlessly use LiDAR data from any hardware vendor.
The solution is presented as a small computing device. Created as a ready-made solution, ALB uses the capabilities of three-dimensional spatial intelligence, while avoiding the complexity of processing three-dimensional data in real time. This solution saves companies from the difficulties of choosing the most suitable LiDAR for each use case. LiDAR can now be easily used for vehicle counting, pedestrian monitoring, and many other use cases.
This first-of-its-kind product is undergoing the verification process in several regions (USA, Europe, Asia). Strategic partnership and cooperation agreements have been concluded with some of the most well-known LiDAR suppliers in the USA and Asia, including Velodyne, Ouster, Hesai and Robosense.
The launch of ALB for ITS followed the successful deployment of Outsight technology at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to provide accurate monitoring of people's flows in real time while preserving personal data.
LiDAR-based Outsight solutions allow systems to perceive, understand and interact with the environment in real time. Thanks to the hardware preprocessing mechanism and next-generation software compatible with any LiDAR, the solution offers a unique level of simplicity, efficiency and versatility in smart infrastructure applications.
Previously, it took months to use LiDAR in ITS applications, such as intelligent traffic monitoring. This solution takes only 90 seconds from connecting the equipment to receiving information about moving objects in real time.
Augmented LiDAR Box demonstrations take place at ITS World Congress in Hall B7, Booth 342.
Hawa Dawa will build a measuring network for German highways
Traffic Technology Today 14.10.2021
At this year's ITS World Congress in Hamburg, Germany, Hawa Dawa revealed more detailed information about its partnership with German Autobahn for the installation and operation of a network of measuring instruments.
The partnership was established in early October. The network created by Hawa Dawa will collect and analyze environmental and weather data on the A5 motorway section in real time. The data will be available on the control panel, as well as for direct integration into the route control system via the interface.
Data on emissions of NO2, PM2,5 and PM10, as well as relevant data on weather conditions, serve as a basis for reducing the impact of road traffic on the environment while optimally maintaining traffic flow. The project uses modeling and measurement of environmental impacts with high temporal and spatial resolution. These real-time measurements are used to improve control scenarios.
https://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news/weather-systems/hawa-dawa-to-build-measurement-network-for-german-autobahn.html
Spain
Technology for preventing the movement of scooters on sidewalks
Traffic Technology Today 15.10.2021
Bird company has announced the first of its kind technology for the protection of "smart sidewalks". The sensor integration solution was designed and developed in collaboration with U-Blox, a leader in wireless communication and positioning technologies and services. Smart Sidewalk Protection, integrated into Bird scooters, is designed to prevent the use of micromobility devices on sidewalks and pedestrian paths.
As more cities seek to integrate micro-mobility into their transportation systems, technologies that prevent sidewalk driving are becoming increasingly important. Thanks to the collaboration with u-blox, Bird has developed the industry's first reliable integrated sensor integration system that tracks location with centimeter accuracy. Combining the ZED-F9R u-blox high-precision reading module with high-precision sidewalk mapping and a set of Bird scooter onboard sensors, the integrated system effectively detects and prevents movement on the sidewalk or pedestrian path in real time. While traditional GPS with cloud maps may take more than 15 seconds, Bird's new intelligent sidewalk protection solution can immediately stop a vehicle entering the sidewalk and allow the driver to take the scooter back to the roadway or bike path.
The technology for detecting scooters on sidewalks is currently being tested in Milwaukee and San Diego, USA, and is expected to be deployed in Madrid, Spain in early 2022.