Austria's Smart Traffic Light of the Future
Austrian researchers have developed a smart traffic light that analyzes pedestrian behavior, recognizes people who want to cross the road, and stops traffic without pressing a button and waiting.
The system, which will hit the streets of Vienna next year, will monitor an area of 8 x 5 meters with a camera. It monitors the movement of people walking near the road and detects their intention to cross within a second.
If a large number of people indicate their intention to cross, the traffic light can delay traffic longer and give them all the time to safely reach the other side. You can also create accommodation for people with wheelchairs, strollers and buggies who need a little more time.
While some people mat not like the idea that a public road camera records all your movements and predicts your actions, the team has said that all the monitoring and calculations done in the light housing itself. I would like to point out that the server is not sent out. It also uses geometric data rather than recording individual person characteristics.
The lights also have an automatic fault reporting system, so pedestrians will not stop by the side of the road if the camera fails. “This is a double safeguard," says the team. "The system was developed in such a way that it can work round-the-clock even in a harsh environment and can also deal with voltage fluctuations.”
If successful, smart lights will be rolled out to other countries, keeping the next trend of self-driving cars away.