Lidar technology from Cepton is being used in studies in Texas and Utah to improve traffic safety for all road users. The trials are in alignment with the US federal Vision Zero and Complete Streets initiatives.

Cepton’s Helius Smart Lidar System combines lidar sensors with edge computing and intelligent perception software. It is being deployed by researchers from the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) through the USDOT-funded National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) at two busy intersections in two Texas cities. One is in Arlington, Texas, which connects two UTA campuses, while the other is in the neighbourhood of a high school in Irving, Texas.

The deployments have enabled two studies funded by NITC, with additional support from the cities of Arlington and Irving, Texas, the Oregon Department of Transportation, UTA and the University of Utah.

The first study uses Helius to analyse pedestrian behaviours and revealed that pedestrian behaviours often do not align with recommendations in pedestrian facility design guides, such as the AASHTO “Green Book.”

The second study focuses on the separation of left-turning vehicles from concurrent pedestrians crossings, using an innovative dynamic flashing yellow arrow (D-FYA) system that generates signal operations based on real-time pedestrian analytics enabled by 3D lidar perception.

The lidar-enabled D-FYA solution will be deployed in Salt Lake City, Utah in a project funded by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). UDOT is already working on implementation of this solution to evaluate lidar’s ability to improve safety and efficiency of traffic.

According to UDOT, the system will enable operators to monitor pedestrians’ walking speeds and “look at things like red light running and near misses for pedestrians and vehicles,” enabling detailed traffic data collection that traditional detectors are unable to provide. The system could enable UDOT to “tailor traffic signals to travellers’ needs, potentially adjusting signal timing in real time,” and has the potential to “integrate with vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) connected vehicle technology” to warn vehicles of potential hazards.

“Previous research has shown that cars may not look for pedestrians sufficiently on a flashing yellow arrow (FYA), as they search for a gap in traffic to make a left turn, which can be dangerous,” said Dr Taylor Li, lead researcher on the project and Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UTA. “To remove this risk, a traffic signal system can be programmed to turn off the FYA when a pedestrian walk button is pressed. It is not always efficient, however, as pedestrians tend to press all walk buttons available when they want to cross on a diagonal or change their decisions, and cars still have to wait out the rest of the programmed red time, when a pedestrian isn’t really crossing or crosses very quickly.

“Using lidar, we are able to implement a real-time, dynamic crossing signal solution. Lidar does a great job in tracking pedestrian behaviours during yellow, all-red and the first few seconds of green lights, helping us understand their true intents.”

Dr Jun Pei, CEO of Cepton, said, “Pedestrian safety is essential to people-oriented transportation. Our advanced lidar perception solution is designed to provide accurate, real-time 3D analytics that ultimately helps improve the walkability of streets. I am excited to see Helius deployed in more US cities to help transform America’s traffic infrastructure, making safe, smart mobility accessible to everyone.”