Smart City – The smart city of the future: Our cities should be more efficient, more ecological and more advanced. One important contribution: autonomous vehicles (such as the ability to transport passengers independently). As a partner of Siemens, SICK contributed its security expertise to a pilot project in the port city of Hamburg. The challenge: Using sensors in the infrastructure to detect people and objects in chaotic urban environments, the data collected in this way will one day support autonomous buses driving around cities.

IC695ALG608 At the end of 2021, a number of partners tested the future of automated short-distance transportation in the port city of Hamburg. A self-driving electric bus made a total of five stops on a 1.8km route, transporting passengers through the world-famous city of Hamburg – a trial run by safety drivers. When traveling in complex urban environments, buses are supported by infrastructure sensors that provide additional environmental data to self-driving buses. Goal: To improve performance, especially safety for passengers and other traffic participants. In collaboration with Siemens and SICK, SICK’s laser scanner sensor technology was also tested at one of these chaotic intersections.

During the pilot project, the buses were on the road for several months. That’s enough time to collect a lot of measurement data from sensors at the intersection.

Shared Autonomous Mobility with Siemens and SICK

Detailed evaluation of measurement data

Multiple sensor systems were used simultaneously in the test area. This makes IC695ALG608 it possible to directly compare data from different systems to systematically investigate strengths and weaknesses. Dealing with massive amounts of data is a challenge. SICK’s specially developed cloud-based analytics software automatically identifies critical deviations and systematically investigates security-related situations.

When the project was completed, it became clear that this data-driven approach was able to reliably illustrate the performance and safety-related characteristics of the sensor system, even in this chaotic urban scenario. The results of the joint survey were subsequently used to validate the entire system and were presented jointly by Siemens and SICK at the safe.tech conference plenary session in Munich.

“SICK’s experience and capabilities in the field of reliable inspection and sensor data acquisition made it possible to achieve the project objectives,” said Siemens Senior Expert Validation Rolf Schmid. Schmid particularly highlighted the collaboration between the two companies, adding that “SICK is the ideal partner for the project in terms of data acquisition, data evaluation, data authenticity and data verification.”

IC695ALG608 Magnus Albert, Senior Experte Safety Methods at SICK AG, concluded the project: “Only automated evaluation of large volumes of regional data can illustrate the reliability and usability of our system in an urban environment. This relies on a trusting partnership with Siemens at the actual intersection. It is the key to applying a new approach to data. This proves that the reliability of the system is already excellent.”

Multiple sensor systems were used simultaneously in the test area.

Create a safe Smart City

In the process of implementing the Smart City Initiative, more and more cities strive to adopt new technologies and continuously increase digital levels to improve safety, efficiency and sustainability, and ultimately improve the quality of life of their citizens. This is the only way for cities to remain competitive and sustainable.

Smart City initiatives affect all areas of life, such as the supply and disposal of buildings, goods and data, transportation, services, sanitation, water or energy. The transportation sector permeates almost all areas of Smart City and is almost always a necessary prerequisite for the smooth functioning IC695ALG608 of future cities. Therefore, the expansion of infrastructure and transportation services to achieve “Smart Mobility” is a core issue. Smart Mobility should also make an important contribution to achieving Vision Zero, the ideal goal of zero fatalities in traffic accidents. In particular, a large proportion of traffic accident victims in cities are pedestrians and cyclists, the so-called Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).

The use of highly automated vehicles and autonomous vehicles in public short-haul passenger transport is essential to achieving these goals. These vehicles can drive more safely, avoid accidents and keep traffic flowing. Driving safely also requires specific information, which can only be determined by sensor data in the infrastructure.

In addition, this information must always be available, reliable, and valid. This is why SICK’s aforementioned capabilities can make a fundamental contribution and enable such solutions. SICK is working with Siemens on Smart Mobility, so Smart Cities will soon be able to make transportation safer and more sustainable.