VTT utilises 5G network to improve road safety

VTT’s Technical Research Centre in Finland has carried out an experiment using the 5G mobile network to help improve road safety, control self-driving cars and assist road maintenance providers. The company says 5G networks and fast data transmission solutions can collect sensor, video and radar data from vehicles. Public funding agency Business Finland subsidised the VTT's 5G-Safe project. It is part of the Challenge Finland competition, an initiative which explores the use of augmented reality an
December 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
814 VTT’s Technical Research Centre in Finland has carried out an experiment using the 5G mobile network to help improve road safety, control self-driving cars and assist road maintenance providers.  


The company says 5G networks and fast data transmission solutions can collect sensor, video and radar data from vehicles.

Public funding agency Business Finland subsidised the VTT's 5G-Safe project. It is part of the Challenge Finland competition, an initiative which explores the use of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies in industrial applications.

Tiia Ojanperä, senior scientist from VTT, says the data can be collected automatically which allows warnings to be sent out to other road users via automated systems.

"The new solutions give drivers access to highly localised data, such as warnings about icy conditions around the corner. Drivers can use the information to choose a different route or change the way they drive,” Ojanperä adds.

VTT used a see-through application, a concept enabled by 5G, to transmit real-time video footage or 3D views between vehicles.

“This increases safety, especially in poor weather conditions such as when visibility is obstructed by drifting snow," Ojanperä explains.

For better control of self-driving cars, VTT believes real-time data can be used to change the vehicle behaviour based on observations. Earlier this year, VTT upgraded its robot car Marilyn with %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external capabilities false http://www.itsinternational.com/sections/general/news/vtt-s-robot-car-now-sees-through-fog/ false false%> which allow it to detect and navigate through fog and snow without stopping.

Ojanperä insists: “The new technology makes it possible to collect data from areas beyond the cars' own sensors.”

Additionally, the data can be used to alert road maintenance providers on issues such as snow build-up, potholes and fallen trees.

Other partners involved in 5G-Safe include the Finnish Meteorological Institute, road maintenance contractor Destia and software development firm Unikie.

Looking ahead, VTT says it intends to launch a follow-up 5G project with its industrial and academic partners in Finland, Germany, Romania, Turkey, Portugal and Israel during the second quarter of 2019.

UTC

Related Content

  • February 19, 2019
    Sompo to launch system to assist virtual testing of AVs
    Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance is to develop a system which will allow local governments to carry out virtual tests of autonomous vehicles (AV). A report by The Japan News says the insurance company is hoping to reduce costs associated with real-world testing by providing a virtual environment which will feature road conditions based on 3D maps. This project stems from an agreement with Tier IV, a developer of autonomous driving technologies and measuring technology firm Aisan Technology. The system
    Read More
  • November 28, 2018
    Driven consortium aims to trial AVs in London before Christmas
    The Driven consortium, led by software provider Oxbotica, hopes to trial a fleet of autonomous vehicles (AV) in London before Christmas following successful ongoing tests in Oxford. The vehicles will map streets in the London Borough of Hounslow as part of the consortium’s plans to run a fully autonomous fleet between both cities in 2019. Oxbotica has equipped the vehicles with its autonomous software, radar, lidar sensors and onboard computers and cameras. The fleet will gather data on the contents of
    Read More
  • April 11, 2018
    La Sécurité Routière calls for self-driving cars to pass driving test
    French safety agency La Sécurité Routière has proposed that autonomous vehicles (AVs) should be made to pass a standard driving test before deployment on roads – according to a report by The European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL). Through the proposed test, AVs would be set to autopilot mode and be required to participate in a driving examination. Manoeuvres, different driving speeds, parking and navigation would all be under scrutiny.
    Read More
  • January 24, 2019
    Bosch to trial driverless tech on Australia’s high-speed rural roads
    Bosch has received an automated driving system (ADS) permit from the Victorian government to test automated vehicle technology on high-speed rural roads in the south-eastern Australian state. Bosch is to use a $2.3 million grant from the Connected and Automated Vehicle (C/AV) Trial Grants Programme to develop the technology, which will be tested later this year. The C/AV programme funded through the government’s $1.4 million Towards Zero Action Plan – an initiative which provides guidelines on how V
    Read More

Highlighted Content