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

  • March 8, 2019
    London Science Museum hosts free driverless vehicle exhibition
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are at the heart of a new exhibition at the London Science Museum. Driverless: Who is in control? opens on 12 June and looks at “how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines”. Continuing until October 2020, the show examines themes familiar to ITS professionals wrestling with the legal, ethical and logistical issues around the introduction of driverless cars to public roads. The museum says it will focus on “how much of this seemingly futuristic technolog
    Read More
  • November 2, 2018
    Waymo gets California green light for public driverless tests
    Waymo has been granted a licence to test fully-driverless cars on public roads in California. It is the first company to be given the green light for such trials in the state – and it means there will be no test driver sitting in the driver’s seat. The permit includes day and night testing on city streets, rural roads and highways with speed limits of up to 65mph. Waymo insists: “Our vehicles can safely handle fog and light rain, and testing in those conditions is included in our permit. We will gradual
    Read More
  • January 5, 2018
    Here Technologies launches safety suite for BMW drivers
    To improve driver and passenger safety in BMW vehicles, Here Technologies (Here) will deliver a cloud-based suite which provides information on potential road hazards, accidents and extreme weather events, such as slippery roads and reduced visibility. It will be integrated into production models beginning in mid-2018 and will be available to users across North America and Europe. Called Here Safety Services Suite, the system aggregates real-time, rich sensor data generated by cars of different brands.
    Read More
  • November 27, 2018
    Teleste unveils 5G smart bus stop in Finland
    Teleste says its smart bus stop in Espoo, Finland, uses video surveillance and 5G to help security personnel respond to incidents. Teleste’s bus stop is being tested as part of the Nokia Bell Labels LuxTurrim5G project, which seeks to demonstrate the fast 5G network based on smart light poles, with integrated antennas, base stations, sensors, screens and other devices. The bus stop is located within Teleste’s Connected Zone – an area which utilises alarms, built-in cameras and dynamic information solutio
    Read More

Highlighted Content