VTT 's robot car now sees through fog

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland says it is one step closer to creating a safe automated vehicle through upgrades made to its Marilyn robot car. The vehicle can now see through foggy and snowy conditions, navigating without stopping. Additionally, VTT says, the car can see humans through fog and avoid accidents automatically. Marilyn now has light imaging, detection, and ranging (Lidar) mounted on its roof, which the company claims enables it to see wavelengths beyond the human senses.
May 15, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
814 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland says it is one step closer to creating a safe automated vehicle through upgrades made to its Marilyn robot car. The vehicle can now see through foggy and snowy conditions, navigating without stopping.


Additionally, VTT says, the car can see humans through fog and avoid accidents automatically.

Marilyn now has light imaging, detection, and ranging (Lidar) mounted on its roof, which the company claims enables it to see wavelengths beyond the human senses.

Matti Kutila, VTT’s project manager, says: "Although Marilyn's vision is limited to roughly 30m in thick fog, the new Lidar type allows the car to be driven slowly rather than having to fully stop.”

The car now features optical component wavelengths via the 1550 nanometre Lidar and has additional intelligence for its software design to improve sensor capabilities. Software modules have been built in for the filtering of point clouds and the assessment of scanner reliability.

However, Marilyn's automotive radars and Lidar's detection of non-metallic obstacles and resolution is limited, particularly when trying to recognise shapes.

For more information on companies in this article

VTT

Related Content

  • Vision Components offers ‘smart upgrade’ for IP cameras
    December 12, 2016
    Image processing specialist Vision Components is offering road authorities a way to make existing IP cameras ‘smart’. The company’s Q-Board carries an ANPR library and character recognition software and can be retrofitted into existing IP camera to provide additional services while retaining the original video streaming function.
    Read More
  • EU aims to turn ITS theory into practice
    May 18, 2016
    Gareth Horton explains how the European Commission’s Transport Research and Innovation Portal can help expedite research and turn theory into practice. Over the next few years Europe’s transport systems face a number of challenges, such as improving urban mobility while at the same time protecting population health and accommodating the accessibility needs of an ageing but active population.
    Read More
  • GTT aids cyclist safety in Minneapolis
    July 14, 2016
    In a bid to improve conditions for cyclists in Minneapolis, Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) using existing infrastructure and its Canoga 9004 system to detect and react to bikes at intersections. The traffic detection system is now able to recognise both vehicle and bicycles and the Canoga card reacts quickly enough to give cyclists a green light without needing to slow down or wait at the intersection or navigate a red light. Previously, only vehicles would trigger green traffic signals at intersectio
    Read More
  • An evolution in ANPR
    April 19, 2012
    UK company, CA Traffic, having launched the Evo8 fully integrated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system in 2009, has announced a number of evolutionary developments offering customers what it says are unique capabilities in the world of ANPR.
    Read More

Highlighted Content