Smart streetlight warns of black ice

A system for warning drivers about transparent (‘black’) ice is being tested on a public road in Susono, Japan, from 10 February to 31 March. The system involves a smart streetlight developed by four companies: Stanley Electric, Kaga FEI, NTT Communications and Dassault Systèmes. The test will verify the effectiveness of the system in preventing car slippage and pedestrian falls in a public area of Susono.

As part of the test, a smart streetlight that projects an illuminated warning (‘Caution Ice’) on the road surface was installed on a light pole in front of Yanagibata Bridge in Ishiwaki, Susono City. For the duration of the trial, data from an edge AI camera and sensors mounted on the smart streetlight are being collected and transmitted via mobile communication to a centre for analysis, including by comparing the number of ice-related accidents at the site before and after the trial. Additionally, residents will be surveyed to see if their awareness of ice-related hazards is changed by the operation of the system.

Stanley Electric developed, manufactured and supplied the LED streetlight and illumination-projection equipment, while Kaga FEI provided the edge AI camera and sensors and developed the embedded AI system.

NTT Communications implemented mobile communications (IoT Connect Mobile TypeS) and provided a platform for visualising and storing collected data.

Dassault Systèmes provided a virtual twin platform (more complex than a digital copy of the real world, a virtual twin is a representation of the real world based on mathematical models and scientific principles) and built virtual twins, data visualisation and scenario analysis based on system and terrain data.

Once the system is demonstrated to be fully reliable and effective, its broad deployment in other municipalities will be promoted, along with the use of smart streetlights in emerging countries where road lighting is uncommon. It will also be possible to combine data from the system with weather data, thus providing enhanced weather-related driving information such as traffic congestion forecasts in areas where snow is expected, keeping drivers better informed while also supporting the work of road and traffic managers.

NTT’s KOEL design studio will join the project to help research opportunities for commercial applications. It is expected that the system could be applied in business areas such as shopping malls and other commercial facilities as well as Park-PFI, a publicly solicited, privately financed initiative for the maintenance and management of urban parks in Japan.

Susono, whose slogan is ‘Japan’s most citizen-oriented city hall’, is actively modernising its urban areas through the introduction of universal-design pedestrian spaces, advanced technology and data analysis, aiming for zero fatalities and fewer than 200 injuries due to accidents per year by 2025.

Image credit: iStock.com/Wirestock