Published on October 21st, 2021 📆 | 6738 Views ⚑
0Verizon, Nissan, CCTA collaborate on connected-vehicle technology for roadway safety
What you need to know:
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Verizon and Nissan collaborated to research and test technology that can notify drivers of detected pedestrians or other vehicles emerging from behind visual barriers
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The technology leverages Verizon 5G Edge, 4G LTE, and a Nissan proprietary telematics test platform to process sensor data from vehicles and infrastructure into urgent notifications
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The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will initiate validation of the technology for its Automated Driving Systems Grant Program, which includes controlled deployment in select public locations in Contra Costa County, CA.
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon and Nissan North Americaâs Research and Advanced Engineering team have completed a research proof-of-concept demonstrating how sensor data from vehicles and surrounding infrastructure can be processed at the edge of Verizonâs wireless network and communicated back to vehicles for urgent driver notifications in near real time. The test successfully applied that process -- an example of cellular vehicle-to-everything communication (C-V2X) -- to scenarios in which drivers may find it difficult to see vulnerable pedestrians or oncoming traffic emerging from behind visual obstructions. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will initiate validation of the technology for its Automated Driving Systems Grant Program, which would see the use case tested in controlled public environments in Contra Costa County toward potential live deployment upon validation.
âCommunication between vehicles and the environment around them, or C-V2X, will be one of the most important transportation innovations of the connected and autonomous future of driving,â said TJ Fox, Senior Vice President of Industrial IoT and Automotive, Verizon Business. âThis proof of concept shows that edge computing with Verizonâs cellular network can help take the resource-intensive compute burden off vehicles and public infrastructure -- housing their software platforms and crunching their sensor data for them -- and can communicate data outward to prompt potentially lifesaving safety alerts or autonomous driving features in the car, all essentially in real time.â
âMaking breakthroughs in products and technologies is a core piece of Nissanâs business,â said Maarten Sierhuis, Ph.D., vice president, Nissan Technical Center North America. âThe successful development and pilot of this research technology reinforces our commitment to helping keep drivers and passengers safe and the future of mobility.â
âCCTA is excited to be collaborating with Verizon and Nissan to test technology that addresses real transportation needs â delivering mobility choices to transportation-challenged and underserved communities â while preparing our county for the future of mobility,â said Timothy Haile, Executive Director for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. âTaking a proactive approach to safety is a priority for CCTA, and the technology weâre testing together will contribute toward making connected and automated vehicles a safe option for future travel.â
The trials focused on testing a variety of vehicle-based and infrastructure-based sensor configurations to create a multi-viewpoint picture of potential safety hazards beyond vehicle and driver line-of-sight. Using Verizon 5G Edge with AWS Wavelength, the sensor data from Nissan vehicles and infrastructure was processed at the edge of Verizonâs wireless network and communicated back via the cellular network to vehicles in near real time, prompting Nissanâs Intelligent Shared World platform to initiate driver notifications. This process helped notify drivers of detected pedestrians entering roadways from behind other cars or of oncoming vehicles obscured behind larger vehicles, as can occur during left turns with oncoming traffic. The trial was conducted by Nissanâs Silicon Valley-based Research and Advanced Engineering team.
The CCTAâs Automated Driving Systems (ADS) Grant Program aims to accelerate mobility programs for underserved communities. Upon Program validation of the Verizon and Nissan technology, it could then be deployed around busy intersections, retirement communities, or as part of the countyâs Innovate 680 Program.
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