Self-driving robotic vehicles are communicating with traffic lights on the streets of Sydney, as part of an intelligent transport trial.
The vehicle-to-infrastructure technology under development aims to save lives by feeding data about pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists and traffic light signal changes to driverless vehicles, as well as manually operated vehicles.
The trial features self-driving vehicles in live traffic on the streets of Chippendale using wireless connectivity to interact with traffic lights equipped with Transport for New South Wales’ Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS).
As the automated vehicles approach the traffic lights, the software under development – Cit-e, sends messages about the intersection’s layout, right of way, timing of signal changes and warnings of imminent hazards including vulnerable road users.
A receiver in the vehicle uses the information in conjunction with the vehicle’s position, direction and velocity to gauge whether it is likely to commit a red-light violation or endanger other road users.
The self-driving vehicles used in the trial are designed by University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Robotics and have undergone rigorous safety testing at Transport’s Future Mobility Testing and Research Centre in Cudal.
NSW Government said the Cit-e software could be launched commercially as early as next year by SCATS, and can be retrofitted to standard vehicles and traffic infrastructure meaning it could be in use long before the arrival of driverless vehicles.
“As cars get smarter, there’s the opportunity to make them safer and save lives on NSW roads,” said Minister for Roads, John Graham.
“This innovative technology will put NSW at the forefront of the national conversation on smart car innovation and road safety.”
