Cities around the world are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) to help improve the safety conditions for pedestrians. As pedestrian deaths have increased across the country, new technology brings hope of creating a safer space for those who travel on foot, on bike, and by car.
Collecting Data
City officials in cities such as San Jose, California are exploring new ways to use “tiny machine learning’s AI software” installed in street cameras. The purpose of these cameras is to collect information from the community. It will be used to collect quantitative data and not physical images. This will be done in hopes of providing useful information about the movements and presence of pedestrians on city streets.
Using Technology to Create Safer Cities
Evgeni Gousev is TinyML’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. He has a strong belief that this AI technology holds a lot of promise to help increase the safety of pedestrians on local city streets. Information from the predictive models from the AI software can be leveraged so that cities will be able to better understand how pedestrians navigate their urban environments. This technological advancement comes at a time when pedestrian accidents and fatalities are soaring. City officials all agree that something needs to be done, and AI seems to be the answer.
This information will help city officials proactively take measures to prevent potential incidents and fatal accidents. The software will be able to analyze different patterns of movement to play a crucial role in mitigating and anticipating the risks pedestrians face while navigating through their towns.
Incorporating AI and Virtual Reality
Incorporating AI technology into surveillance systems marks a substantial transformation in urban safety strategies. By leveraging the capabilities of AI software to gather data, cities can gain a holistic comprehension of pedestrian behavior, enabling them to optimize infrastructure and policies accordingly. This data-centric approach empowers city planners and transportation authorities to make informed choices, leading to improved urban design that places a high priority on pedestrian safety and well-being.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a nonprofit organization is working with virtual reality to try and increase safety for pedestrians. A team made of people from across the country is working together in a simulation lab to recreate driving experiences in city limits to help unfold a better understanding of what changes need to happen to make bicyclists and pedestrians safer when out walking near moving vehicles. An added benefit of experimenting with virtual reality is that mistakes won’t prove deadly.
A Safer Future
The potential for these artificial intelligence experiments goes beyond reactive measures. The main purpose is to find proactive interventions. Using the software, cities will be able to identify danger zones, use data from near misses and accidents for analysis, and come up with targeted strategies to help mitigate risks. As an example, a traffic signal can use AI-powered technology to help adjust signal timing according to the current pedestrian flow. This will help minimize possible issues between pedestrians and moving vehicles and will increase safety for all involved.
Cities such as San Francisco have joined the Vision Zero program with the goal of ending all traffic deaths by 2030. Harnessing the capabilities of these new technologies can bring us all closer to that goal. The capabilities of predictive AI in traffic signals present opportunities for city officials to create more pedestrian-friendly cities with an emphasis on accessibility and safety. The AI data will help revolutionize urban planning and help empower cities to prevent accidents before they can occur.
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