Aug. 31, 2007 — Even the most cautious drivers make mistakes. But a new, "smart" traffic
signal could help motorists make better decisions and avoid
collisions, especially at intersections that lack lights or signs
altogether.
The smart signal, in development at the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology, is part of a bigger transportation infrastructure being
designed to incorporate computers and automated systems to improve
traffic flow and safety. Such a system could work to not only alert
individual drivers, but also to prevent accidents and track violations.
The alert system consists of two standard surveillance cameras, each
mounted on a pole at an intersection. One camera faces the main road
and the other faces the secondary road. As traffic approaches,
the cameras record and send video to a computer at ground level.
Image processing software discerns moving cars from the background and determines how fast the vehicles are traveling. The software automatically projects the cars' trajectories and, based on their speed and direction, calculates the likelihood of a collision.
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If it identifies a risk, red lights on a stop or yield sign will flash.
"What makes this system innovative is the fact that it flashes only
when needed," said Yotam Abramson, team
leader for the Smart Junction project. According to Abramson,
other systems attempting to produce such a warning either flashed
continuously or frequently enough that drivers got accustomed to
seeing the lights and began to ignore them.
