Zebra Technologies Corporation has joined the Smart Mobility Test Bed Consortium jointly started by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and NXP Semiconductors N.V.
Zebra is providing the wireless infrastructure needed to connect various components of the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed for smart cars and traffic systems, located on NTU’s campus.
“By incorporating Zebra’s wireless solutions into NTU’s campus-wide V2X test bed infrastructure, we are able to offer a comprehensive suite of resources to the transportation community to develop, optimize and validate new innovations and business models that could improve road users' safety and enhance commuters’ experience,” says Associate Professor Guan Yong Liang, Lead Principal Investigator of NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed, NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The Smart Mobility Consortium sees a number of high-tech companies, research organizations, academics and government agencies come together to research and test next-generation V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) technologies that aim to enhance commuter safety and transportation systems.
The formation of the Smart Mobility Test Bed Consortium is in line with Singapore's 'Smart Mobility 2030' vision, making the city-state a global innovation hub for intelligent transport systems. The test bed spans across NTU’s 200-hectare campus to simulate a small city with live traffic.
Zebra’s wireless AP 6562 outdoor access points are used to create a wireless network that seamlessly connect vehicles and intelligent infrastructure such as Roadside Units (RSU), traffic cameras and traffic lights.
The AP 6562 is a dual radio 802.11n mesh access point which features rugged construction to meet the harshest outdoor conditions – heat, wind and rain – while delivering strong, reliable network capacity.
The 75 nodes – connected to a Zebra’s NX 5500 controller– are deployed across NTU’s campus utilizing wireless mesh technology, which does not require all access points to be connected by cables. This offers savings on cabling costs and manpower, and reduces any operational downtime associated with laying network cables.
Vehicles communicate with Roadside Units (RSUs) relying on the IEEE 802.11p standard for vehicular systems. In turn, the RSUs communicate with one another and the intelligent traffic system through Zebra’s wireless network.
Andrew Turley, Head of Innovation, Car Infotainment and Driver Assistance, NXP Semiconductors, adds: "More roads, tunnels, or overpasses will not solve the traffic challenges in global megacities in the long run. What we need is more intelligent transport systems. Wireless communication technologies like secure V2X will bring significant benefits to society, saving lives by avoiding road accidents as well as limiting congestion, travel time and CO2 emissions. With this joint initiative with NTU, Zebra, and other leading industry partners we are embracing an opportunity to make the secure, smart connected city a reality sooner and bring Singapore to the forefront of smart mobility innovation."
“Smart Mobility research is crucial to develop next generation systems that enable people in a metropolis like Singapore get to where they need to be safely and efficiently in the future,” says Wayne Harper, Senior Technical Director, Asia Pacific, Zebra Technologies.
“Tapping into Zebra’s expertise in providing visibility that’s visionary, we are proud to lay the wireless foundation for the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed, helping the various moving components of the Smart Mobility equation stay seamlessly connected and creating a network that’s truly efficient and safe.”