Aston University researchers in the UK have teamed up with a specialist transport planning, traffic engineering and parking consultancy to develop technology to improve UK roads, resulting in reduced emissions, fewer accidents, and financial savings.

The research team and Smart Transport HUB Ltd will work together in a new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to harvest data from multiple vehicles and using hardware integrated with sophisticated machine vision and machine learning to analyse camera feeds in real-time and relay information to highway contractors.

The partnership aims to develop and pilot the world’s first in-vehicle mobile urban monitoring technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI).  The technology aims to reduce emissions, lower pollution levels and reduce road accidents.  It will result in a shift from reactive to proactive highway maintenance, addressing issues including potholes and traffic signage, in the hope of easing congestion and reducing accidents.

This novel technology will improve road network conditions and traffic management, enhance highway maintenance operations by enabling timely repairs, and increase productivity while reducing costs through automated surveys over larger geographic areas instead of manual site-specific surveys. It will also lead to better traffic conditions and improved health and safety, resulting in fewer accidents, as well as reduced emissions and lower pollution levels.

Nicola Mastini, Principal Consultant at Smart Transport HUB, said: “Aston University is right at the forefront of research in AI and deep learning for traffic simulation. The KTP gives us a unique opportunity to integrate some of that knowledge and use this as a basis for upscaling our team, boosting our productivity, and developing a very unique and attractive commercial product.”

Graphic: Aston University road monitoring.