SMART ROADS: AI-ENABLED INTELLIGENT HIGHWAYS

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the “100 Smart Cities Mission” on June 25, 2015

India has budgeted trillions of dollars to create more than 100 smart cities. 

Everything is getting ready to be smart, the important advancements in the integration of technology and intelligence lead us all to be smart. Aside from smart cities, smart TVs, smart streets, smartphones, etc., AI also helps to smarten the way we travel.

Smart Roads, Yes, We are redefining transportation for the digital age.   

We might be wondering how the common road fits into this digital revolution. Have a simple look…

Smart Roads for Future Smart Cities

Experts say that transportation is a vital section of a smart city. Over the last two decades, we have seen the advancement and development of many technologies that have aided in the convergence and realization of smart highways. That is smart roads. This will be an essential component of smart transit in future smart cities. Smart roads promise a bright future for transportation, revolutionizing the way we travel and making our roads safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

We perform a great deal of innovation happening in the transportation sector to reduce carbon emissions and build more sustainable infrastructure. Here is a keynote on innovations happening around the world in the field of sustainable transportation:

Smart Roads: Key Note

Smart roads are highways that use various advanced technologies. The way we travel could be completely transformed by the roads.

Smart roads have multiple aspects that help with traffic management, including speed sensors, sound sensors, CCTV cameras, weather monitoring systems, digital signage, and so forth. These roads frequently use renewable energy sources, such as solar panels or piezoelectric materials, to create electricity for powering road infrastructure and equipment. These smart highways use sensors integrated with cameras, radars, and other environments to collect data on traffic flow.

Smart highways integrate physical infrastructure like sensors and solar panels with artificial intelligence and big data. Take a look at how AI helps make advances in smart roads. 

AI Technologies for Smart Roads

AI-applied smart roads utilize traffic data collected by thousands of cameras, detectors, traffic lights, and parking meters. Here are some applications of AI and advanced technologies for improving smart road performance.

  • Automatic Charging of Electric Vehicles

Is on-road electric vehicle charging possible? 

Yes, of course, it is possible. The automatic charging technology powers an electric vehicle that is still on the move. Sweden has implemented a countrywide expansion of the electric road system, electrifying around 20,000 kilometers of road. These roads deliver electricity to a receiver coil in the vehicle using coils of wire buried in the road surface. The vehicle is charged as it drives over the coil. The development of inductive charging roadways is still in its early phases, but they have the potential to provide a simple and effective way to charge electric vehicles.

Smart roads rely on a charging plate system placed beneath the road surface. As the car passes over the plates, electricity is transmitted to a receiver coil in the vehicle. Dynamic wireless charging roads are more advanced than inductive charging roads, and they can deliver a faster and more efficient charge. Also, this will eliminate the need for electric vehicles to search for charging stations.

Other Important Features:

  • Traffic Detection: AI-powered traffic lights become more responsive to traffic variables in their area as well as throughout the city. This aids in granting pedestrians the right of way and identifying high-risk problem areas.
  • Lightning in the Dark: Glow-in-the-dark street lights, signs, and special road markings use daylight energy to guide cars through the day’s dark hours.
  • Smart Traffic Signs: Smart signs can transmit an audio message instructing the driver of a smart vehicle on what to do. This reduces the confusion caused by today’s numerous road signs. 
  • Advanced Communication: Roads equipped with sensors that can monitor real-time weather conditions and advise oncoming vehicles on how to utilize the road.
  • AI Traffic Management: AI-powered GPS, sensors, computer vision-based cameras, and other associated IoT devices are used to collect data on weather, traffic, and roadblocks. This real-time information for AI systems is used to save passengers time and improve driver safety. It also aids in the detection and classification of vehicles that break traffic laws.
  • Automatic Distance Recognition: AI-enabled sensors find the distance between vehicles and objects surrounding them, which helps reduce traffic problems. 

As we can see, AI has a seemingly endless role to play in the development of smart roadways.

Here Is The Conclusion

The steady growth of the population and the number of vehicles and public transportation generates traffic concerns, increasing the possibility of accidents and traffic congestion.

We are facing several issues with traditional roadways, including bumper-to-bumper traffic, an insufficient roadway network, unmetalled and deteriorating roads, and a lack of monitoring and connectivity. 

The smart city concept creates new criteria for traffic management. The blog discussed about the smart future by introducing smart roads to our world. It’s not just the beginning, many companies are still on the path to realizing smart transport for the smart future.

The future of smart roadways looks bright. As this technology advances, we should expect smart roadways to provide even more benefits in the future.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *