Roadway safety needs to be a priority when it comes to vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 31,720 people died in vehicle crashes alone from January through September 2021 – a 12% increase from the same time frame in 2020.
Thankfully, there are many organizations trying to do something to significantly reduce these dire statistics and improve roadway safety.
Peachtree Corners recently conducted live demonstrations of the latest connected vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X) at its Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners as part of the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) conference in Atlanta.
Curiosity Lab is a hub of innovation and idea exchanges surrounding 5G, smart cities, and intelligent mobility technology, established by Peachtree Corners, one of the nation’s first smart cities to be powered by city-owned connected infrastructure and 5G. 5GAA is a global, cross-industry organization whose leaders in the technology, automotive, and telecommunications industries work together to develop future transportation and mobility solutions.
Peachtree Corners conducted seven demonstrations during the May 18 Curiosity Lab event, both on its “city street of the future” and inside the lab’s IoT Control Room – the first of its kind implemented in a real-world environment by a U.S. city. Attendees got a taste of how real-time video and data feed into the IoT Control Room from a network of sensors and cameras and get aggregated and displayed in a single view. Cities can use this data to manage roadway safety and traffic congestion.
Participants also experienced various smart city technologies firsthand onboard both autonomous, electric Beep (a self-driving vehicle company) shuttles and in Curiosity Lab test vehicles.
Peachtree Corners launched its fleet of autonomous shuttles, referred to as PAUL (Piloting Autonomous Use Locally), for residents in 2021. The service, implemented by Beep, operates along Technology Parkway and includes stops at popular destinations in the area such as hotels, restaurants, retail shops, the Innovation Center at Curiosity Lab, and City Hall.
During the 5GAA event demonstration, the autonomous shuttles revealed how C-V2X technology over 5G is critical to the future of autonomous vehicle safety and development. Each of these vehicles displayed a specific type of technology from various providers, including personal safety messages (PSM), vulnerable road user (VRU) alerts, signal phase and timing (SPaT) alerts, pedestrian safety messages, and more.
Other demonstrations at Curiosity Lab were:
- PSMs using Ouster lidar object detection – a sensing method using light to measure the position and distance of objects.
- SPaT alerts for green light optimal speed with Commsignia, a company that creates vehicle communication technology, and Iteris, a provider of information solutions for traffic management and global agribusiness markets.
- SPaT alerts displaying signal priority with Applied Information, a developer of smart cities, connected vehicles, and intelligent transportation system (ITS) solutions.
- SPaT alerts highlighting countdown to green and preparing for red lights with Applied Information.
- Unprotected left turns with Applied Information.
- Pedestrian safety messages using video recognition and C-V2X with Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services; MH-Corbin, provider of highway information systems; Iteris and Commsignia
Alpharetta-based iATL conducted nine additional demonstrations using connected vehicle technologies.
“The combination of smart city infrastructure, cellular-V2X, and connected vehicle technologies are critical in our quest to improve roadway safety for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians into the future,” said Brandon Branham, Peachtree Corners Assistant City Manager, and CTO Brandon Branham.
A major facilitator of innovation and tech industry networking, Curiosity Lab regularly hosts conferences and other events, including the recent Connected Cities Tour. Curiosity Lab’s Innovation Center houses a special event space that can host more than 100 people and is used for corporate innovation offsite events, entrepreneurial classes, and technology community events. Parking is free and abundant, with electric vehicle charging stations available.
If you are interested in holding your event at Curiosity Lab, please contact us.
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