Chattanooga plans 100 smart intersections

  • January 18, 2023
  • Steve Rogerson

The city of Chattanooga in Tennessee is to build the largest smart intersection network in the USA using technology from Seoul Robotics.

The Federal Highway Administration will fund the landmark project to optimise traffic systems and evolve roadways for electric vehicles.

Seoul Robotics specialises in smart 3D infrastructure. It will expand its partnership with the Chattanooga Department of Innovation Delivery & Performance, and the Center of Urban Informatics & Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee, in a smart city and urbanisation research centre to deliver 86 smart intersections, said to be the largest urban IoT deployment of its kind in the USA.

The US Department of Transportation will fund the $4.5m endeavour to create a living laboratory that will provide researchers mapping, tracking and identification insights into the state of mobility in the city. Intersections will be installed throughout 2023 and 2024 and, once finalised, the city will capture over 100 intersections total, covering the entire downtown area.

This project will expand the efforts of the partnership’s MLK Smart Corridor – a proprietary testbed first deployed in 2019. The system leverages lidar sensors equipped with Seoul Robotics’ Sensr 3D perception software, which uses an accurate deep learning AI with dynamic weather-filtering to detect, track and predict the movement of pedestrians and vehicles anonymously, regardless of weather conditions.

Through accurate, real-time data, the system can identify potential incidents such as accidents and wrong-way driving, as well as better understand traffic flow and the interactions between pedestrians and vehicles.

“Our work in Chattanooga will deliver more than insights into the city,” said William Muller, vice president at Seoul Robotics. “We’re generating a real world, data-informed testing environment for emissions management, pedestrian safety, electric vehicles and more. With this scalable network of smart intersections, we’re able to capture the most granular level of 3D data that can be used to transform cities today, and in the future.”

The city of Chattanooga plans to leverage 3D data from the intersections to prepare for the transition to electric vehicles and better inner-city driving mobility, and improve the traffic management system. Quantifiable insights will map the ideal locations to install EV charging stations, as well as monitor the infrastructure to understand its use. Real-time high-resolution traffic insights gleaned from the system will also be used to optimise routes to alleviate congestion and ultimately reduce vehicle emissions.

“Our partnership with Seoul Robotics on the MLK Smart Corridor delivered an entirely new dimension of insights beyond what we anticipated,” said Mina Sartipi, founding director of the CUIP. “The level of accuracy and actionability has enabled numerous advancements in how we can make our city safer, more efficient, and healthier for the people who live here. By expanding the project footprint, we will not only position Chattanooga as a pioneer of smart city technology, but also create a blueprint for other cities around the USA to leverage the transformative capabilities of 3D systems.”

Seoul Robotics was founded in 2017. The company’s core technology, Sensr, is patented 3D perception software that uses AI deep learning and weather-filtering capabilities to provide accurate environmental insights. This software delivers transformative intelligence and capabilities across a wide range of industries, including intelligent transport systems, security, smart cities and autonomous mobility.

Seoul Robotics has offices in Seoul, Munich, Irvine and Raleigh and is backed by global financial institutions.

The CUIP is a smart city research centre at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.