A range of the latest transport technology has been displayed at the Local Council Roads Innovation Group’s summer festival in Coventry, supported by the Transport Technology Forum.
The TTF’s Connected Vehicle Working Group demonstrated a development of the eCall automated emergency alerting system which automatically directed a drone to the scene of a simulated road crash, transmitting live images of the scene to a number of devices. This demonstration, featuring VESOS, Haas Alert, Skyfarer and Coventry City Council, simulated how a drone could be used to provide vital life-saving information to emergency services and highways operators giving them prior knowledge of the extent of a crash allowing them to plan their responses quicker.
Alongside this, a driverless pod from Ohmio took delegates on a route around the site, showing how the technology can be used for last-mile transport. Automation was also highlighted by the company Robotiz3d, which demonstrated its autonomous pothole filling machine.
Other transport technology companies to exhibit at the event included Arcadis, Brighty, Causeway, Coeval, Gaist, Jenoptik, Reflow, StarTraq, Truvelo, Vaisala and Westcotec, Aisin RoadTrace, Korec Group, NAL, Rennicks Roadside Technologies, SRL, Think Project, Trojan Energy, Truvelo (UK) and XAIS-PTS.
Kerbo Charge’s innovative on-street EV charging cabling solution and Simplifai Systems’ AI-based traffic management solutions were key attractions in the Start-Up Zone along with Alchera, Eloy and KL Systems.
The Innovation and Learning Festival also featured a series of lectures in the Technical Learning Theatre, ranging from Vehicle Activated Signs to analysis of harsh braking to improve road safety. In the new Innovation Think Pavilion discussions ranged from innovation challenges to getting the best out of Artificial Intelligence. These sessions were granted CPD certification by the CPD Certification Service, meaning delegates can receive an Institute of Highway Engineers-backed Certificate of Attendance as evidence of their continued professional development. Meanwhile, the event further supported training through a partnership with the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, which promoted its financial support for transport professionals to learn new skills outside of their day-to-day jobs.
Beyond the transport technology solutions, there were many road surfacing, road building and site solution exhibitors present at the festival, showcasing an end-to-end range of transport innovations for local authorities and the supply chain to learn about.
“We are thrilled that our Innovation and Learning Festival continues to grow and continues to highlight the huge number of great new ideas in our industry,” commented LCRIG CEO Paula Claytonsmith. “Getting more than 600 delegates together in one place for two days of learning will also have the positive effect of spawning new ideas for the future, as people with a huge amount of expertise were able to discuss what they saw and will no doubt develop further innovations.”
“The Transport Technology Forum is proud to be a partner of the LCRIG Learning and Innovation Festival, because it is such a great place to show off the latest transport technology,” added TTF Manager Darren Capes of the Department for Transport. “Being able to exhibit and lecture about technology is always welcome, but the ability to demonstrate outdoors things like drone and driverless pod solutions makes the event unique. We look forward to showing off even more technology at the event next year as it continues to grow.”
The TTF’s next major event is its Autumn Update, taking place in Birmingham on 12 November, while before that the TTF and LCRIG are leading the showcasing of the best of British transport technology at the ITS World Congress in Dubai. The TTF will also be taking an active role in the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium in September and LCRIG’s Strictly Highways event in October, as well as hosting a connected vehicle webinar.
(Picture – VESOS)
