Ever been late for a meeting and run into a red light with no traffic or pedestrians in sight? Many city solutions such as lighting and lighting Traffic lights have been operated mechanically until now.: Turns on or changes colors at regular intervals regardless of the situation. This causes inefficiency and leads to bright streets with no pedestrians or traffic, or red lights at empty intersections. Now, smart traffic lights based on AI and big data could help reverse the situation.
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What are smart traffic lights?
smart traffic light A traffic control system that reacts to environmental conditions in real timeIt is one of the elements of smart cities, and like other applications such as power supply and water management, it relies on two fundamental elements:
- sensor network. They range from simple cameras to radar sensors, all interconnected via IoT (Internet of Things) technology. Also, once the Car2X communication protocol is implemented, vehicles are expected to report their position, speed, and direction to both nearby vehicles and nearby traffic lights and systems.
- Artificial intelligence and big data systems. Massive amounts of data collected through sensors are processed by artificial intelligence. This allows you to manage current conditions and anticipate events such as peak traffic times and off-peak holidays.
AI to smooth the flow of traffic
Smart traffic lights appear to be one of the cornerstones of sustainable mobility.mainly they save time and fuel in the meantime reduce urban pollution.
But what is the current state of this technology? Hmmm, looks like you’re making a lot of progress. One example is a study from Aston University in the UK. This is artificial intelligence software that can analyze traffic camera images in real time through machine learning and modify the behavior of traffic lights.
To achieve this, British researchers created Photorealistic traffic simulator, codenamed Traffic 3D, can train AI without putting the driver at risk. The simulator generates different traffic situations such as rain conditions and accidents.
Reinforcement learning, which AI uses, is a bit like human learning. It’s a reward for doing it right, and a penalty for doing it wrong. Therefore, the system is penalized whenever there is a waiting time or traffic jam. In this way, AI improves its performance and Already successfully tested on real intersectionsIn this case, instead of getting the information from the simulator, it gets the information from the cameras in the field. AI also adapts to new situations, such as accidents.
Until now, many smart traffic light control systems have magnetic induction loopThat is, a wire crosses the roadway and records the number of cars passing by. The program counts and reacts to this data. On the other hand, the new model Be more agile and respond fasterbecause it can monitor traffic arriving at an intersection, not just traffic passing through a particular point.
Cities with smart traffic lights
Aston University’s software is one of the most advanced in the field, Implementation of smart traffic lights has been going on for yearsSo in 2018, the US started implementing AI-assisted traffic lights. Pittsburgh is an example of a city with this type of traffic light. In Pittsburgh, he was able to reduce the time lost in traffic jams by 40% and 20% less. emissions. All this is done using software that combines images from cameras, radar, radio frequency equipment and artificial intelligence.
Other cities in China, Malaysia, and India have implemented AI-based traffic management solutions. Some of them were developed by his Ali Baba, an e-commerce giant. However, these management systems are not just for traffic. In the UK, companies are already applying AI-based technology to monitor pedestrian crossings, Adjust smart traffic lights based on detected pedestrians Predict whether to intersect based on motion.
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