The smart way in the suburbs
SMARTS told socialbites.ca that the third section of the central ring road in the Moscow region is already ready for an experiment in launching cars connected to a smart road. According to him, the start of the experiment will take place in a few months.
“The Central Ring Road is already ready to conduct an experiment on the movement of vehicles connected to the smart road infrastructure, so it is very close to its launch. At the moment, preparations are underway for the start of the movement, the equipment is already installed on the vehicles. “The preparation process will take about two more months, and then the experiment will begin,” he said.
The traffic on the smart road on the Central Ring Road was restarted in 2020, but the cars did not depend on it, so the infrastructure was actually not working. KAMAZ and Mercator will be the first vehicles to be connected to this system.
The project is implemented by Avtodor and United Operator and several local companies, market leaders, are involved in the project. Having successful experience in implementing the smart road project in the Samara region, SMARTS is interested in developing working scenarios as well as integrating smart road infrastructure and cars.
“For example, the inclusion of an electronic brake light when the vehicle transmits data about sudden braking to other road users. Or notifications about auto special services, road works or the approach of a parked car. In fact, the experiment aims to improve road safety. In addition, after its completion, equipment for connecting to the smart road will be installed on KAMAZ and Mercator vehicles during the production phase.
So far, there has been no talk of the launch of fully unmanned vehicles, but the possibility of launching completely unmanned vehicles along the logistics routes of the Russian Federation in the future is being considered.
The launch of drones will make it possible to deliver goods about twice as fast – drivers do not need to stop for a rest.
why is the way smart
The development of smart roads is carried out in many countries in a similar way: autonomous unmanned vehicles drive along the highway, “communicate” with each other, exchange data about traffic and their environment. They receive information via internal sensors, derived antennas, and cables laid on the road surface.
Above all, it improves traffic safety. For example, a car stopped in front of a crossing because a pedestrian was walking on it. Another car is still around the corner and does not “see” the obstacle, then the first one points to a person on the road, preventing a possible accident.
Cars will also be able to “compromise” on the coordination of route and speed. This will allow, for example, an ambulance even not to turn on the audible alarm – the road will be clear.
To make this project a reality V2X (from vehicle to everything) radio coverage on the road must be provided.
“In fact, the speed of V2X implementation depends on the timing of the implementation of the appropriate infrastructure on the roads and the integration of on-board devices by vehicle manufacturers. Additionally, a large-scale launch would require addressing issues with the regulatory framework to regulate this industry and ensure cybersecurity of “connected” vehicles. In Russia, these issues have not yet been resolved, but there has been an active discussion for more than a year,” says Evgenia Ponomareva, Senior Business Development Manager for KasperskyOS-based solutions at Kaspersky Lab.
smart road in Russia
The section of the Central Ring Road-3 is already equipped with V2X infrastructure, it remains to equip the cars with an OBU module (Onboard Unit – on-board equipment).
“The modern car is full of sensors, radars and cameras. That is, every car sees the surroundings, but only in direct line of sight, they cannot look around the corner. If we install the OBU in the car, it will give warnings about difficult traffic conditions on the tablet. So the connected machines will “communicate with each other,” the company SMARTS shared.
However, for this to be possible, the road needs to be equipped with telecommunication infrastructure.
“The optical fiber in the fiber optic cable laid in the “body” of the road turns into an acoustic sensor and we “hear” everything that happens on the highway. This is how it works – at the beginning of this section, a camera is installed that will record the car according to the license plate and assign an acoustic track to it. We will be able to follow it throughout the entire journey and know how fast the car is moving, where it is stopping, whether it has gone off the road, fallen into a ditch, etc. We will know.” .
The system can detect when vehicles are accelerating, indicate a possible obstacle on the road, detect a car pulling to the side of the road from the wrong place, and record pedestrian movement in certain sections along the highway.
All this is aimed at improving traffic safety – this allows you to respond faster to accidents and eliminate possible obstacles in traffic. A potential user of the system may be the traffic police.
Now this technology has been introduced in the 240 km long M5 section between the cities of the Samara agglomeration. In the future, it is planned to expand the experience to other regions.
may have problems
NP GLONASS noted that the smart section of the ring road around Moscow is an experiment in which the hypotheses of both improving road safety and sustainability of business models will be confirmed.
“We view this idea positively as it contributes to improving road safety. Overall, the project is important and necessary as it tests cutting-edge technologies and V2X scenarios, with Russia getting off to a good start at both the hardware and software levels. There are all prerequisites for the development of this technology for both domestic use and export potential.”
Sergey Burgazliev, an independent automotive industry consultant, noted that the smart roads project should be welcomed as it aims to increase safety.
“However, there may be some issues in its implementation that could slow the adoption of smart paths. These include the high cost of equipment, little test data, and the reluctance of Russian truck manufacturers to produce modern trucks that can respond accurately and in a timely manner to commands from the installed equipment after the enforcement of sanctions. For example, now KAMAZ is switching to older K3 models, while URALAZ is not yet able to replace some foreign engine control and braking system components. We can be slowed down by foreign components used both in cars and in devices to build the infrastructure itself,” Burgazliev explained.