Mobility and Smart Cities

Fully driverless cars can use sensors such as radar to find their way, no matter how dark, rainy or foggy the road might be. But radar signals can be interfered with, or even completely jammed. This is a major speed bump to making these cars safe and ready for market. Dr. Canan Aydogdu, who led the GREENLOC project, created a component that merged radar's precise localisation with wireless communication technology. This component could then make localisation faster, more accurate, and use less energy. In project simulations, this technology proved capable of overcoming the radar interference problem. The device could localise itself to within three centimetres when moving. Canan then received support to further fine-tune the technology as part of the follow-up Vinnova project, showing the importance of this ground-breaking work. The research helps Europe’s automotive companies to continue to have a leading role in driverless car technology.

The EU is aiming for zero road deaths by 2050. The IVORY project is contributing to this goal by training researchers in responsible artificial intelligence applications in this field. The project focuses on AI technologies that are fair, secure and transparent for all road users. It places a high priority on ensuring AI used in road safety is appropriate for vulnerable groups such as disadvantaged drivers and those in low- or middle-income countries, where more support is needed. The project aims to develop road safety AI technologies in areas like infrastructure and safety management. At the same time, it is building a network to share best practice in AI road safety. To achieve this, the project is training 15 researchers in new AI applications for vehicle assistance and vehicle safety, while making sure that the next generation of AI in road safety is fair for everyone. A website dedicated to teaching AI road safety will be available after the project to help build a community of researchers around the topic and take the technology forward.

Road transport is the most widely used form of transport in the EU, and essential to the economy as it connects people, businesses and goods. Europe's road safety ambitions mean researchers are working on ways to increase road safety. One approach which can drive down the number of road accidents is to improve road safety culture. The team behind the TraSaCu project found several factors that can influence the safety culture of social groups, and in turn improve road safety. One example was the importance of considering specific communities or cultural groups during the design and implementation of road safety measures. Researchers interviewed experts and organised workshops with interested groups to get perspectives and raise awareness of safety culture. They translated findings into advice for road safety decision-makers, and invited several interviewees to become safety ‘ambassadors’ who then shared TraSaCu’s results among their communities.