The safety of highways across Europe is set to significantly improve following a tie-up between Gaist and Aisin which will combine their advanced technology and data to target potential road defects.
Aisin, part of the Toyota Group, has developed technology branded RoadTrace™ which is able to detect unusual driving patterns directly from vehicles on the road. Data is harvested and aggregated from multiple sources, then processed using RoadTrace™ AI to produce the intelligent insights that indicate problems of road surface deterioration, signage, lining and road geometry or infrastructure design issues.
By providing high-definition visual imagery of these ‘red’ areas and access to their advanced scheme design capabilities, Gaist will support Aisin to deliver a powerful tool to local authorities and other asset owner / operators. It will enable them to efficiently and easily identify and target danger spots on their networks and develop appropriate repair and maintenance plans.
In addition to supporting road maintainers to efficiently tackle safety challenges, the service will significantly contribute to improving road safety for users and support the European Commission’s ‘Vision Zero’ mission to reduce road deaths to zero by 2050.
The tie-up brings together two of the global leaders in the highways technology field.
Aisin, a leading mobility company, creates responsible and connected mobility solutions for people and goods. Combining their automotive and geolocation heritage with pioneering AI techniques, Aisin is building the connected mobility ecosystems of the future.
Adding to recent developments in driver assistance safety systems, like Driver Monitoring and Intelligent Speed Assist, Aisin’s RoadTrace™ technology provides insights on collective road usage to Road Operators and Local Authorities, helping them to make roads safer.
The unrivalled highways surveying and analysis provided by Gaist has seen its customer base extend rapidly. Demand for its highly detailed and current data is today high from broadband and utilities groups, ‘smart parking’ companies and those at the forefront of the Connected Autonomous Vehicle revolution alongside its established UK customer base of local authorities. Lorna Payne, Business Development Manager at Aisin, said: “Aisin is delighted to be working with Gaist to bring our pioneering road safety insights to local authorities, helping them to make informed decisions based on real road usage for safer roads.”
Steve Birdsall, Chief Executive of Gaist, said: “We firmly believe that this revolutionary new offering will bring about a step change in road safety. For years big data, connected cars and AI have been overhyped in their ability to meaningfully transform the real world as we know it. What this product offers is real innovation, applied in a real world context to bring about real change. Gaist and Aisin share a vision for using data that is now available through advancements in connected car technology to derive real and useable insights that will benefit all road users.”
Gaist’s collaboration with Aisin marks the latest in a series of partnerships which are taking its insights into a growing number of global markets. These include tie-ups with TRL – the global centre for innovation in surface transport and mobility, Smart Mobility Living Lab and leading data platform Confirm.
The tie-up will see Gaist take another step towards applying its roads data to support more efficient, greener and safer transport infrastructure around the globe.
