Transport Minister Hermann visits SWARCO and test field for artificial intelligence in road traffic

Unterensingen: On Wednesday, 28 August 2024, Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann visited the headquarters of SWARCO Traffic Systems GmbH in Unterensingen as part of his summer tour.

In addition to presenting the international SWARCO Group, the aim of the visit was to discuss selected topics such as ‘Cooperative, Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS)’, ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI)’ and ‘Cyber Security’, as well as to visit a nearby test field of the joint road construction office of the Esslingen and Göppingen district authorities in Nassachtal.

The more differentiated detection of approaching traffic, in particular cyclists and pedestrians, is being tested at a traffic light system. The highlight of the visit was therefore a test ride by the minister and some of his companions on bicycles brought along especially for this purpose.

The minister's delegation included staff from the Ministry of Transport and Andreas Schwarz, member of the state parliament and leader of the Bündnis90/Die Grünen parliamentary group, as well as several representatives from the Esslingen and Göppingen district authorities.

After the visitors arrived at the SWARCO site in Unterensingen and were welcomed by Managing Director Lucas Kornacher, interesting discussions quickly ensued. Topics included, for example, the discontinuation of analogue radio frequencies for prioritising emergency vehicles, which makes it necessary to convert traffic light systems to C-ITS technologies, or the immense energy savings that can be achieved through intelligent traffic light controls and by replacing light sources in the field with low-energy LEDs. The principle of distributed intelligence in traffic light control systems was explained using a demo installation of ‘SWARCO X-LINE’ technology.

A live demonstration of the ‘MyCity’ mobility platform served as a transition to the planned on-site appointment, with live access to the AI cameras at the intersection in Nassach Valley, which were to be used during the subsequent test ride by bicycle.

The test ride extended from a 900 metre remote mast with energy-autonomous and wireless sensors to the actual traffic light system, whose AI-based detection automatically generated a ‘green’ request for the approaching group so that the junction could be passed without stopping. Minister Hermann was joined on the test drive by Andreas Schwarz, member of the state parliament, Thorsten König, head of the road construction office for the Esslingen and Göppingen districts, and SWARCO product manager Matthias Nolle.

‘The traffic light project in Nassachtal, at the state road junction in Uhingen, is a model of how the future of traffic control in Baden-Württemberg will work. Artificial intelligence (AI) and state-of-the-art sensor technology can improve traffic flow, reduce emissions and increase road safety. This commitment to innovative technologies is enshrined in our coalition agreement and will help to make our transport more environmentally friendly and efficient. A special feature of these traffic lights is that cycle traffic can cross the junction without stopping thanks to early detection and optimised switching,’ said Transport Minister Winfried Hermann.