About Cubic Corporation
Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR, and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries’ effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people’s lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.
About AIMES
AIMES, led by the University of Melbourne, is a world-first living laboratory based on the streets of Melbourne, established to test highly integrated transport technology with a goal to deliver safer, cleaner and more sustainable urban transport outcomes. For more information about AIMES, please visit https://eng.unimelb.edu.au/aimes
About iMOVE
iMOVE is Australia’s leading applied research centre in the transportation and mobility sector. iMOVE help businesses and government tackle transport-related challenges by connecting and activating the ideas, people, and resources to get things moving.
Media Contacts
Annabelle MacGregor
MacGregor Public Relations
PH: 0418 463 028
annabelle@macpr.com.au
Crystal Nguyen
Corporate Communications
Cubic Corporation
PH: +1 858-505-2593
Crystal.Nguyen@cubic.com
Melbourne cyclists, pedestrians and road users better protected with GRIDSMART, following an increase in cyclists and pedestrians around the city
SAN DIEGO – July 7, 2020 – Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced its Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business divisions’ GRIDSMART technology will be used in a partnership with the University of Melbourne to tackle new transport challenges arising from COVID-19. As a result of the global pandemic, many cities around the world are seeing unprecedented levels of walking and cycling, creating new challenges for urban centers that usually move people on public transport or in cars.
Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are now busily building extensive new cycle ways to accommodate increasing numbers of cyclists and pedestrians in the urban environment. Some of Melbourne’s bike routes have reported over 300 percent more use, which is set to increase as more people return to work.
“With the huge additional influx of bikes, pedestrians and cars, there is a significant risk of more congestion and accidents at intersections,” said Chris Bax, vice president of ITS global strategy, Cubic Transportation Systems. “In order to protect cyclists and reduce congestion, cities must embrace technologies that integrate multiple sources of data to optimize efficiencies.”
Under the iMOVE CRC, Cubic is working with the University of Melbourne and several local government agencies to bring the improved detection needed at intersections to tackle current and future challenges.
“The advanced detection system made possible through GRIDSMART allows Machine Learning control strategies to consider all modes of transport, in particular Vulnerable Road Users such as cyclists and pedestrians,” said AIMES Director Professor Majid Sarvi, The University of Melbourne.
GRIDSMART is a complete omnidirectional-imaging, real-time computer vision product, comprising hardware and software, that works with the traffic controller to actuate intersections for cars and bikes to provide rich intersection performance data. GRIDSMART’s revolutionary SMARTMOUNT Bell camera is being installed at strategic locations in the Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES), located in the heart of Melbourne.
GRIDSMART uses its fisheye Bell Camera, along with real-time computer vision tracking and deep neural net classification, to track and discriminate bicyclists from other road users as they pass into and through intersections. The system provides improved safety for bicyclists while simultaneously improving intersection efficiency for multimodal traffic.
“The GRIDSMART technology provides a 360-degree live view of all traffic at the intersection. The system tracks cyclists as they travel through the intersection, providing the correct amount of green time for individuals based on their chosen path and speed,” said Bax. “It also aims to produce improved road safety by detecting wrong way driving and increase situational awareness by providing live video from the intersection.”
To meet the new hurdles resulting from changes in transport patterns, drivers will need to be better informed, buses will need to be expedited with signal prioritization and crowded walkways must be dispersed safely. By utilizing big data and artificial intelligence, GRIDSMART technology will help to address these needs.
“The GRIDSMART camera is constantly learning, so it knows not to give priority to a turning vehicle when there’s just one car waiting, but instead considers how many cars are waiting before it decides to actually start to give right turns,” said Bax. “It also categorizes vehicles, so we can distinguish between cyclists, cars, and trucks.”
“Our partnership with Cubic and the cutting-edge technologies they have developed and deployed in AIMES are helping to achieve our vision of delivering safer, cleaner and more sustainable transport outcomes,” concluded Professor Sarvi.
The GRIDSMART cameras are expected to be fully installed and go live in September this year.
###