autoevolution
 

BMW Presents UR:BAN Research Initiative

At today’s rate of growth and the continuously expanding traffic systems are forcing big cities around the world to look for alternatives to urban driving or find ways to make transit easier.
  UR:BAN research initiative – Project “Cognitive Assistance” - Sub-project “Protection of Vulnerable Road Users” 6 photos
Photo: BMW
UR:BAN research initiative – Project “Cognitive Assistance” - Sub-project “Protection of Vulnerable Road Users”UR:BAN research initiative – Project “Cognitive Assistance” - Sub-project “Measurement and Modelling of the Environment”UR:BAN research initiative – Project “Networked Traffic System” - Green Coordination and Deceleration AssistantUR:BAN research initiative – Project “Networked Traffic System” - Green Coordination and Deceleration AssistantUR:BAN research initiative – Project “Networked Traffic System” - Green Coordination and Deceleration Assistant
Driving through urban areas today requires on the spot decisions and nerves of steel because of the numerous people involved. From drivers to pedestrians and even cyclists, everyone need to be on their toes.

The BMW Group is currently involved in a research project called UR:BAN (German acronym standing for Urban Space: User-oriented assistance systems and network management) and is working together with other institutions on creating some efficient ways of managing traffic.

“This will enable us to further increase safety, efficiency and comfort in urban areas to significant effect,” explains Dr Christoph Grote, Managing Director of BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH.

One of the main targets is managing the way people interact in traffic according to their own part in this huge puzzle. In order to achieve this goal, over 31 partners from the auto industry and their suppliers were involved, as well as research institutes and local authorities.

The project is split between 3 main categories, “Cognitive Assistance”, “Networked Traffic System” and “Human Factors in Traffic”, and BMW is involved in all of them.

Current driving assistance features are focused mainly on making highway driving safer and more comfortable. However, there also a lot of new challenges to be dealt with in urban traffic, where drivers have to watch out for pedestrians and bikers.

In this regard, active safety system intervene, braking or swerving away if needed, to protect human lives. Such systems are already being used and they already have proved successful.

BMW already developed a system that actually analyzes various situations and pedestrian behavior in order to evaluate if there’s a possibility to be hit by the car. Early systems tested today are already capable of detecting the direction in which the pedestrian is heading and anticipate his moves.

However, work is just beginning in this field and there’s still room for improvement down the road. Today, BMW’s device is capable of detecting objects and the surroundings using a matrix system. The end result should have a 360 degree knowledge of the surroundings and the pedestrians around the car.

Another issue under investigation today is how to further reduce CO2 emissions, as this is one of the biggest problems the auto industry and mega-cities are facing today. As part of the “Networked Traffic System” project, BMW joined forces with other partners to try and use predictive data to allow cars to figure out when a light will turn red or green.

This way, not only will traffic efficiency go up by a considerable margin but the CO2 emissions will also go down, due to the lesser usage of the internal combustion engines that won’t have to idle at red lights as much.

Furthermore, electric and hybrid vehicles will be more efficient, as most power is wasted getting off the line or stopping at red lights. Two test cars using this technology have been presented to the audience today and they will start field tests this year around special facilities in Dusseldorf and Kassel.
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press release
 

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