Shaping the future of mobility safety and technology
28 February 2022
Austin Wilson, Velodyne Lidar’s Director of Intelligent Infrastructure, explains how lidar (light detection and ranging) technology is evolving to improve mobility safety.
How do you think the mobility ecosystem has changed over the past five years?
We have seen smarter technology being deployed across the mobility ecosystem. Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with sensors, including lidar, that improve navigation and safety. Infrastructure is becoming more intelligent, helping to improve traffic flow efficiency, advance sustainability and protect vulnerable road users. Communication between vehicles and infrastructure is also expanding. For instance, Velodyne Lidar’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution uses lidar to extract trajectory road user data around intersections to predict potential collisions, which can be used to warn connected vehicles via Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communications. Vehicle manufacturers can leverage the solution’s analytics in combination with their on-board safety systems to reduce accident probability.
What kinds of partnerships do you think work best for cities looking to incorporate new transit technologies?
Collaboration is the key to a successful partnership. Companies, local governments and universities are teaming up to improve traffic and energy efficiency, road safety and air quality. For example, Velodyne is collaborating with Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) to deploy our Intelligent Infrastructure Solution. CAIT will install Velodyne’s lidar sensors at multiple intersections in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The project will serve as a testbed for mobility data-gathering, analysis and sharing technologies that will help implement connected and autonomous vehicle systems in the future.
What areas can cities improve on when it comes to road safety and how?
There is a pressing need for smart city systems that can help improve road safety and prevent traffic accidents. 2020 was the deadliest year for US traffic crashes in over a decade, with a seven percent increase in traffic fatalities over the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is driving cities to invest in new technologies for traffic monitoring. For instance, the city of Austin, Texas is deploying Velodyne Lidar’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution to help achieve its Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Austin streets.
We’ve seen the Biden Administration say it is committed to investing heavily in transport infrastructure. How confident are you that the right areas will be targeted?
There is a major need to repair roads, bridges, sidewalks and more in the United States. We are optimistic that governments will use the new infrastructure bill for technological improvements that will advance the safety of road users. There is no better time to begin integrating new technologies for smart city development, including lidar solutions. The data from lidar technology provides critical information about vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in all types of weather and environmental conditions. This can advance path planning and safety and sustainability efforts, including the reduction of congestion and fossil fuels.
How will lidar play a role in next-generation smart infrastructure development?
Lidar is game-changing technology in smart infrastructure solutions. It creates a real-time 3D map of roads and intersections, providing precise traffic monitoring and analytics. These capabilities are not possible with other types of sensors like cameras or radar. Lidar reliably collects data in any lighting or weather condition, supporting 24/7, 365-days-a-year operation. Also, lidar sensors do not identify individuals’ facial characteristics, a growing concern for civic applications. Lidar has an advantage in privacy over camera-only systems because lidar does not record details like hair and skin colour.
What’s next for Velodyne Lidar?
We will continue to transform infrastructure to make communities smarter and safer. Our Intelligent Infrastructure Solution has been deployed in multiple cities in North America, Europe and Asia, with more deployments expected worldwide. We are seeing how lidar technology can have an impact on the cost and effort it takes to collect traffic data. Also, the solution’s AI capability is increasing the amount of data collected and improving the analysis of that data. Looking ahead, we will tap the experiences of municipalities that have adopted the Intelligent Infrastructure Solution to help new customers apply their best practices for deployment and management.
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