Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre launches live intelligent mobility showcase
■ Smart applications demonstrated as part of live deployment on QSTP campus ■ Key step towards digitising road infrastructure to support autonomous mobility
The Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre (QMIC) launched an intelligent mobility showcase recently to demonstrate various smart applications and services in fields such as Connected & Automated Vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The live showcase, held on the campus of Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), will continue until March 4 in order to maximise its exposure to relevant stakeholders and decision makers across different segments in the local market.
Connected & Automated Vehicles (V2X) is an emerging technology in the field of intelligent mobility.
The technology will enable road infrastructure (traffic lights, road signs and displays, etc) to communicate seamlessly with road users to exchange useful information and data, and allow V2X-enabled cars to “talk” with other cars and pedestrians in accordance with a globally-accepted standard or language.
Once deployed on a large scale on roads and in cars, V2X technology can significantly enhance road safety by reducing up to 80% of road accidents, as well as decreasing traffic congestion.
Additionally, it is a vital enabler for realising autonomous vehicles, as connectivity is becoming an important sensor to complement traditional physical sensors.
In particular, connectivity is essential for exchanging timesensitive info among road users under all weather conditions and without a need for a line-ofsight visibility.
As part of this showcase, live V2X field demos are conducted on the campus of the QSTP, presenting a variety of real-life scenarios and applications and demonstrating how V2X technology would benefit drivers in these use cases.
Various applications that rely on vehicle-to-vehicle communications and others which rely on infrastructure to vehicle communications are part of the live showcase demonstrated by the QMIC, using an experimental wireless licence in the 5.9GHz provided by the Communications and Regulatory Authority (CRA) in Qatar.
One of the applications presented is an emulation of an approaching emergency vehicle, during which an alert would be delivered to the drivers of nearby V2X-enabled vehicles so they can make way for the approaching vehicle.
Another important use case demonstrates the value for cars to exchange info with traffic lights at different intersections.
This use case is critical for enabling autonomous vehicles as it provides the driver/vehicle with a countdown of time remaining for traffic signals to turn from red to green.
As the vehicle approaches a signalised intersection, this use case also provides the vehicle with suggested optimum speed for catching a green wave, which can enhance traffic flow and reduce CO2 emissions.
In an innovative use case that combines drones and V2X technologies, the QMIC demonstrates how a drone can act as a flying roadside unit to cover intersections where a permanent roadside unit does not exist at the desired intersection.
In support of pedestrian safety, the QMIC showcases a scenario where AI is combined with V2X to alert cars about the presence of pedestrians crossing a street.
In addition to these crucial cases of the V2X, the live field demo includes other vital applications, such as “Broken Down Vehicle” alert and “Road Works” alert.
QMIC executive director (CEO) Dr Adnan Abu-Dayya said: “The mobility showcases we demonstrated at the QSTP is the culmination of many years of intense R&D (research and development) effort by the QMIC, and represent an ongoing joint effort by the QMIC and its strategic national partners to introduce pioneering V2X technologies and applications in Qatar in a gradual manner.”
“The associated field pilot we are conducting in Qatar represents a critical phase where many technology, operational and integration challenges are tackled,” he said. “More importantly, significant hands-on experience and knowledge are gained, which will facilitate transitioning to the large implementation stage where the full benefits of the technology can be realised.”
“This technical-operational knowledge, together with the home-grown mobility platforms and technologies developed by the QMIC, will contribute to making Qatar as an important hub for Intelligent Mobility R&D and innovations in the region,” Abu-Dayya said.
These solutions and platforms are bound to become crucial building blocks of the intelligent mobility infrastructure in Qatar, the QMIC has stressed in a press statement.
The next steps will include completing the technical/usability pilot stage and the expansion of its scope by adding many new applications and use cases.
This can potentially be followed by a partial rollout of the technology and services to specific enterprise user segments, before proceeding with a country-wide implementation within the next few years.
“The QMIC extends its invitation to all relevant entities that would like to experience these solutions first-hand and are interested in exploring potential areas of collaboration,” the statement adds.