The backbone of the test bed at NTU is supported by NXP Semiconductors, the secure communication systems of which can link cars, traffic lights and other infrastructure in a campus-wide network.

Professor Yoon Soon Fatt, Chair of NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, said NTU has a proven track record when it comes to joint industry research partnerships and practical solutions over the years. The new consortium will be a platform to turn such innovations into actual products, which can then be adapted to other big cities facing similar smart mobility challenges like Singapore, said Prof Yoon.

The new consortium will enable more industry partners to test their smart solutions while enjoying the benefits of cost-sharing on the test bed, which is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Some of the technologies developed in the test bed, such as the automated video analysis and environmental sensors have other potential beyond mobility and can also be deployed as solutions for Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative.

Working with the consortium members, NTU and NXP will be launching projects to develop and trial new technologies and solutions for a suite of mobility applications that will enhance safety of both driven and driverless vehicles as well as personal mobility devices.

The NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed is built using the latest technology from NTU and NXP. It consists of 50 vehicles equipped with a smart on-board unit and 35 roadside units with video cameras mounted on street lamps throughout the university.

The test bed enables companies, research institutes and government agencies to deploy, test and validate V2X wireless applications that allow vehicles to interact seamlessly and safely with traffic infrastructure and vehicles around them.

Fully deployed since December 2016, the test bed is a campus-wide V2X network, which has an “always on” data center capable of handling live video and V2X data collection. It also has a command center that can monitor NTU’s traffic in real time and broadcast safety information.

The network runs on the IEEE 802.11p and 1609 standard, an international “Wi-Fi like” standard suite developed specifically for vehicular use. The test bed’s ready infrastructure makes it easy for industry partners to plug in and test their technologies at NTU with access to staff and students as trial participants.

For example, NTU and Panasonic have demonstrated various smart traffic camera technologies, where vehicles and their speed can be detected automatically along roads at NTU. If successful, this smart surveillance technology can identify vehicles which flout traffic laws, warning nearby smart vehicles to be cautious while alerting authorities.