University Of Michigan Transportation Research Institute teams up with Iteris
Iteris, Inc., the world’s trusted technology ecosystem for smart mobility infrastructure management, today announced its selection by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) for a smart mobility and safety initiative, representing growing demand for Iteris’ smart mobility infrastructure management technologies from public transportation agencies, research institutes and automotive OEMs.
The three-year, $20 million project sees Iteris join public and private partners including Continental, Ford, Toyota, Qualcomm, the City of Ann Arbor and Purdue University. Half of the program funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program, with the remainder provided by the participants as a shared funding program, ATCMTD funds model programs that lead to the “installation and operation of advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance and infrastructure return on investment.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Iteris will equip more than 20 signalized intersections in Ann Arbor, Michigan with its industry-leading vehicle-to-everything (V2X)-enabled detection technology as part of UMTRI’s connected vehicle and smart intersections program.
“One of the most promising aspects of this project is that we will be able to pave the way for a national connected and automated vehicle deployment,” said Henry Liu, research professor at UMTRI, and director at the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) and Mcity. “With innovative smart mobility infrastructure management technology partners like Iteris, we will definitively demonstrate not only the technology but a clear path to funding the infrastructure – both aspects needed for a national deployment. Furthermore, the Smart Intersections Project will provide significant day one benefits to early adopters, including saving pedestrian lives.”
As part of the connected vehicle safety program, Iteris and Continental will be deploying their Vantage Fusion™ hybrid video and radar traffic detection technology at key signalized intersections. Vantage Fusion enables real-world V2X applications and advanced intersection visualization for safer, smarter and more sustainable roadways. A pilot has already been deployed at the University of Michigan’s Mcity as the first step in this process.
Vantage Fusion uses information generated by infrastructure sensors to enable cooperative perception capabilities. In addition to sharing a connected vehicle’s location with other V2X-enabled devices, cooperative perception messaging could enable that vehicle to also share what it senses – a pedestrian or car, for example – with the rest of its connected environment.
Vantage Fusion is the first solution from Iteris and Continental’s recently announced, future-oriented traffic infrastructure collaboration to leverage automotive sensors, and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) connectivity to make city transportation systems across North America safer, more efficient and more sustainable, while supporting local and regional transportation agencies’ efforts to achieve their Vision Zero goals, and preparing cities and automotive OEMs for advancements in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies.
“We are thrilled to play a continued role in the University of Michigan’s connected vehicle testing program, which will be critical in demonstrating the significant safety benefits of V2X-enabled detection systems,” said Todd Kreter, senior vice president and general manager, Advanced Sensor Technologies at Iteris. “With the deployment of our Vantage Fusion detection technology, the first solution from our partnership with Continental, we are proud to pave the way for national adoption of connected and automated vehicle technologies, and make mobility safe, efficient and sustainable for all road users.”
Vantage Fusion is a key component of Iteris’ ClearMobility™ Platform, the most complete solution for continuously monitoring, visualizing and optimizing mobility infrastructure around the world to help ensure that roads are safe, travel is efficient, and communities thrive. The ClearMobility Platform applies cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to achieve safe, efficient and sustainable mobility.
