Seoul City Hosts Future Transportation Experience and Demonstration Using Advanced Technologies like Autonomous Driving... Inviting Public Officials from 13 Cities and Provinces

Experience Connected Car Technology and Autonomous Vehicle Ride Opportunities
Demonstration of 20 Connected Car Services Including Traffic Light Colors, Remaining Time, and Front Hazards Like Jaywalking

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will host a future transportation presentation event at the Sangam Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Zone, inviting public officials from 13 cities and provinces to share connected car and autonomous driving technologies and experiences.

This presentation event is an opportunity to share the results of the C-ITS (Next Generation Intelligent Transportation System) demonstration project, jointly promoted by the city and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, with public officials from local governments nationwide. It features various programs including hands-on experience with connected car services that drastically reduce traffic accidents and test rides of autonomous vehicles equipped with connected car technology on urban roads.

The 5G convergence connected car technology showcased at this event is an advanced technology that connects not only vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications but also vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) interactions through commercial 5G networks, exchanging risk information to prevent pedestrian accidents in advance, thus connecting vehicles to everything (V2X). Through 5G convergence connected car technology, it is possible to provide front traffic signal notifications and violation warnings, including the color of the traffic light at the upcoming intersection and the remaining time in seconds until the green light changes.

Additionally, deep learning video cameras installed in hazardous road sections detect jaywalking pedestrians, accidents inside tunnels, illegally parked vehicles, and stopped vehicles in curve sections 24 hours a day, alerting vehicles in advance. Along with this road hazard pre-warning service, a total of 20 connected car traffic safety services are introduced, including forward collision warnings and lane departure alerts.

A public transportation (bus) specialized traffic safety service that can enhance the safety of buses operating in dedicated central bus lanes will also be unveiled. This service provides advance warnings of pedestrian risks before entering bus stops located in the center of the road, supports safe operation at bus stops with high accident risks by indicating which boarding areas are occupied, and alerts about collision risks with overtaking buses. Seoul expects that connected car technology can reduce traffic accidents caused by driver negligence by more than 30%.

Furthermore, the presentation will reveal technology that analyzes real-time road images collected from traffic safety vision sensors (ADAS) installed in vehicles to detect road sinkholes (potholes) and traffic cones (road construction) and relay this information to surrounding vehicles to provide early warnings of road hazards. This technology was developed through public-private collaboration, with the city providing over 23,000 images of road sinkholes collected from past incidents, and SK Telecom conducting over seven months of AI-based deep learning training.

Based on the technologies unveiled this time, Seoul plans to collect real-time data on road sinkholes (potholes) and construction zones (traffic cones) through traffic safety vision sensors installed on buses (1,600 units) and taxis (100 units), and provide this information to private navigation systems to help drivers avoid road hazards in advance.

Seoul will also offer public officials from local governments nationwide the opportunity to experience and ride autonomous vehicles that safely operate mixed with general vehicles such as passenger cars and taxis on complex urban roads without road control, by integrating connected car technology. Currently, connected car technology and smart road infrastructure support the safe operation of autonomous vehicles on urban roads by providing traffic signals, blind spot pedestrians, and illegally parked vehicle locations?which are difficult for autonomous driving technology to recognize on its own?within 0.1 seconds using ultra-low latency vehicle wireless communication (5G + WAVE).

Meanwhile, Seoul expects that the newly introduced connected car technology at this presentation will spread nationwide, drastically reduce traffic accidents, and lay the foundation for a connected safety service that alerts all drivers across the country to risks in advance. The city plans to collaborate with local governments nationwide to promote the spread of connected car technology and accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving, creating a standard model for future transportation cities.

Baek Ho, Director of Urban Transportation, stated, "Seoul will now develop into a future mobility innovation city leading the standards of future transportation by commercializing 5G convergence connected car technology and autonomous driving ahead of others, based on cooperation with the private sector and local governments nationwide, evolving from the world's top public transportation city."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.