You might remember the project of the year last year, where industry leaders in the development of smart infrastructures and autonomous technologies came together and did something that has never been seen before.
Now we bring you the complete publication where you can dive into the project’s details and all the outstanding achievements. You will find examples of how this groundbreaking data can be used for the future as well.

>>> Skip the recap, take me to the publication

What exactly happened last year?

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics conducted a unique measurement campaign in the transportation industry with its partners Knorr-Bremse, Hungarian Public Road Nonprofit Pte Ltd Co., Ericsson, Magyar Telekom, as well as Austrian industry players. The project took place on the Csorna-bypass section of the M86 road during June 24-27, 2020.

Supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the project provided an incubation test environment for local and international automotive industry players. As part of the project, developing a sensor-rich public road section offered a unique opportunity to advance intelligent infrastructures and partially or fully autonomous vehicles worldwide.

Why are intelligent infrastructures a BIG deal?

Intelligent infrastructures play a key role in the spread of self-driving vehicles. Without them, it is difficult to achieve mixed vehicle traffic with human and robotic drivers. Roads with sensors will be able to send raw and processed data to vehicles, increasing detection capability by several kilometers, opening opportunities for many new services.

AI-based central data processing can transmit suggestions and alerts to human or robotic drivers to avoid congestion and accidents. Advanced infrastructures could serve as a communication platform for vehicles, enabling them to interact with each other. A braking or accelerating car could warn those around it, and predictive systems could anticipate or even automatically eliminate dangerous situations.

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What were the challenges?

The deployment of smart infrastructures is currently set back by a number of technology, standardization, and service models that are under development. One of the biggest challenges is meeting the rigorous security standards for communication. The technology needs to allow for nearly real-time communication, and the data cannot be tampered with by an external party. 

5G telecommunication technology is ideal for this, providing bandwidth and ultra low latency data traffic, which is imperative for a mass of high-speed self-driving vehicles to make reliable and safe driving decisions based on data from external sources.

The results speak for themselves 

The project’s first milestone was a multi-day measurement series. Researchers tested the benefits of cooperative environmental sensors using specially equipped cars and trucks on a closed section of the intelligent road, supported by 5G data communication technology.

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Dive deeper in the publication >>>

What did the experts say about the project?

“Numerous cameras, sensors, and signaling equipment are already in use along the Hungarian roads, but the development of telecommunication and IT opens up new prospects in traffic regulation and data transfer. As road managers, we need to be prepared and ready to adapt to keep up with the developments of car manufacturers. With this measurement project and the subsequent laboratory evaluation, we will get closer to understanding and implementing the latest technologies. Moreover, this vehicle and infrastructure communication technology will open a new information channel for drivers and passengers alike. The information coming from the vehicles that are practically moving sensors will be beneficial for traffic management, detection of congestion, and traffic slowdown. We trust in the success of the project. The engineering team of Csorna and our R&D experts and engineers will do everything to provide the right environment for it.” - Attila József Szilvai, CEO, Hungarian Public Road Nonprofit Pte Ltd Co.

“The big problem with transportation is the well-known shortage of drivers. Drivers are overworked, and they carry an enormous responsibility on their shoulders. By automating certain functions of commercial vehicles, we ease their workload and improve transport safety and efficiency." - Péter Frank, R&D Director, Knorr-Bremse

“With the spread of 5G networks, by 2030, the automotive industry could be one of the industries profiting greatly from the benefits of next-generation networks, thus providing new sources of revenue for mobile operators. According to our forecasts, by 2025 most new cars placed on the market will be able to communicate with other vehicles on the roads, as well as with the infrastructure.” - Gábor Éry, CEO of Ericsson Hungary

“Autonomous driving is a great example of how the emergence of 5G makes our lives better, more comfortable, and safer, which is why we have been supporting this important local innovation project from the very beginning. 5G as a driving force for digitalization will soon emerge in other areas of production and services: automotive industry, agriculture, healthcare, education, transportation, and power. 5G opens up completely new perspectives everywhere and raises economic development and competitiveness to a higher level. That is why we find it crucial to provide the best possible network background for the use of digital technologies and to actively support local innovation.” - Tibor Rékasi, CEO of Magyar Telekom

“The greatest significance of this project is bringing together stakeholders involved in the development and operation of self-driving vehicles and intelligent infrastructures. Public road operators (Hungarian Public Road Nonprofit Pte Ltd Co. and Budapest Közút Zrt.), by building futureproof intelligent infrastructures, telecommunication companies, by creating ultra-fast and high-bandwidth data transfer between vehicles and infrastructure (operations: Magyar Telekom, technology development: Ericsson), automotive industry players (Knorr -Bremse, ZalaZONE), by delivering complete self-driving systems and ensuring the environment for testing, and the academic institution (BME), by providing R&D expertise and coordination, work together to get closer to one of the biggest transportation challenges of the future: to lay the foundation for the safe use of autonomous vehicles on public roads." - Dr. Zsolt Szalay, BME, associate professor

PUBLICATION

Motorway Measurement Campaign to Support R&D Activities in the Field of Automated Driving Technologies

Abstract

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A spectacular measurement campaign was carried out on a real-world motorway stretch of Hungary with the participation of international industrial and academic partners. The measurement resulted in vehicle-based and infrastructure-based sensor data, which will be extremely useful for future automotive R&D activities due to the available ground truth for static and dynamic content. The aim of the measurement campaign was twofold. On the one hand, road geometry was mapped with high precision in order to build an Ultra High Definition (UHD) map of the test road. On the other hand, the vehicles - equipped with differential Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for ground truth localization - carried out unique test scenarios while collecting detailed data using different sensors. All test runs were recorded by both vehicles and infrastructure. The paper also showcases application examples to demonstrate the viability of the collected data having access to the ground truth labeling. This data set may support a large variety of solutions for the test and validation of different kinds of approaches and techniques. As a complementary task, the available 5G network was monitored and tested under different radio conditions to investigate latency results for different measurement scenarios. A part of the measured data has been shared openly such that interested automotive and academic parties may use it for their own purposes.

Read the complete publication here: https://doi.org/10.3390/s21062169

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