5G NetMobil Project develops communication solutions

More than ten research institutions, medium-sized companies and large players have been working on the 5G NetMobil research project with this objective, over the past three years. After that period, these partners now present the results, which will allow to achieve great advances for a new era in mobility.

In many traffic situations it is practically impossible for drivers to see everything they need, such as pedestrians crossing complicated intersections or vehicles that suddenly appear from places with poor visibility.

Radar, ultrasound and video sensors are the eyes of modern vehicles. These devices monitor the traffic situation around the vehicle, but cannot see through curves or behind obstacles.

Direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-network (V2N) communication allows vehicles to share data in real time with each other and with their surroundings – even data about things that can’t be views.

The partners of the 5G NetMobil project are using this communication resource to develop tools such as a crossing assistant to protect pedestrians and cyclists at intersections without visibility. A camera installed in the infrastructure on the side of the road detects pedestrians and warns vehicles in just a few milliseconds to avoid critical situations, for example, when a car changes direction on a side street.

In the future, commercial vehicles will be able to join in train-like platoons, where acceleration, braking and synchronized driving allow trucks to operate in very close rows, thanks to V2V communication.

This automated composition – that is, circulation with one vehicle glued to another – reduces fuel consumption and increases safety on highways.

Experts from participating companies and universities laid the groundwork for platooning vehicles less than ten meters apart and for platooning in agricultural vehicles.

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