Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SAFE-UP (proactive SAFEty systems and tools for a constantly UPgrading road environment)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-12-01 bis 2023-05-31
Progress on reducing road fatalities in Europe has stalled in recent years. The EU’s mission to halve the number of road deaths by 2030 could be in jeopardy if this trend is not reversed.More than 90% of road accidents are due to human factors. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) could significantly reduce the incidence of serious injuries and fatalities. But for that to happen, we need to develop robust and holistic solutions that ensure the effective integration of safety measures targeting all road users: drivers, vehicle occupants, and of course our most Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
In other to achieve it, rather than using the traditional approach of post-collision analysis, SAFE-UP is proactively modelling and analysing safety-critical scenarios. This digital twin will cover the main range of safety-critical scenarios that may occur in the future, involving different road users, environments and vehicles. Based on the identified scenarios, innovative safety technologies, for both active and passive safety systems, will be developed, resulting in four demos. To validate the developed technologies, novel safety assessment tools and methodologies will be designed in tandem, making use of both virtual and physical tools. Complementing this holistic approach, SAFE-UP will produce targeted education and training schemes for fostering the safe integration of automated driving functions, while also focusing on raising awareness of future road safety challenges. SAFE-UP’s holistic approach means that all road users are considered, including those outside the car.
The main objectives of the project are the following:
OBJ 1. Refine the design and analysis of future safety-critical scenarios involving all road users in a highly automated and mixed traffic environment by integrating traffic accident data and future traffic conditions with new forms of safety metrics and sub-microscopic models in a traffic simulation platform. SAFE-UP will use two type of use cases (one urban and one non-urban) covering at least 64% of all current traffic fatalities.
OBJ 2. Develop a passive safety system prototype focused on the occupant protection, integrating two technologies (occupant monitoring and restraint) to enable safe new seating positions in future collision scenarios involving CAVs and extending their protection range by addressing the variety of associated occupant postures and orientations.
OBJ 3. Develop three active safety system prototypes (all on-vehicle, including on-user and infrastructure) to address the interaction between vehicles and VRUs by means of enhanced and more robust VRU detection in bad weather conditions, advanced intervention functions to avoid critical events (e.g. crash mitigation manoeuvres), and a communication framework for timely warning provisions, all satisfying a system sensitivity >90% and specificity >85%.
OBJ 4. Enhance assessment methods by using virtual and physical tools specifically designed to support SAFE-UP’s novel safety solutions for future accident scenarios and to prove at least a 10% reduction in road traffic casualties.
OBJ 5. Raise road users’ general awareness about road safety in future traffic scenarios with increased implementation of automated driving functions by 25% (in relation to the untrained users). Hazard recognition will be stimulated through effective training schemes while an increase of connected VRUs is motivated.
In other to achieve it, rather than using the traditional approach of post-collision analysis, SAFE-UP is proactively modelling and analysing safety-critical scenarios. This digital twin will cover the main range of safety-critical scenarios that may occur in the future, involving different road users, environments and vehicles. Based on the identified scenarios, innovative safety technologies, for both active and passive safety systems, will be developed, resulting in four demos. To validate the developed technologies, novel safety assessment tools and methodologies will be designed in tandem, making use of both virtual and physical tools. Complementing this holistic approach, SAFE-UP will produce targeted education and training schemes for fostering the safe integration of automated driving functions, while also focusing on raising awareness of future road safety challenges. SAFE-UP’s holistic approach means that all road users are considered, including those outside the car.
The main objectives of the project are the following:
OBJ 1. Refine the design and analysis of future safety-critical scenarios involving all road users in a highly automated and mixed traffic environment by integrating traffic accident data and future traffic conditions with new forms of safety metrics and sub-microscopic models in a traffic simulation platform. SAFE-UP will use two type of use cases (one urban and one non-urban) covering at least 64% of all current traffic fatalities.
OBJ 2. Develop a passive safety system prototype focused on the occupant protection, integrating two technologies (occupant monitoring and restraint) to enable safe new seating positions in future collision scenarios involving CAVs and extending their protection range by addressing the variety of associated occupant postures and orientations.
OBJ 3. Develop three active safety system prototypes (all on-vehicle, including on-user and infrastructure) to address the interaction between vehicles and VRUs by means of enhanced and more robust VRU detection in bad weather conditions, advanced intervention functions to avoid critical events (e.g. crash mitigation manoeuvres), and a communication framework for timely warning provisions, all satisfying a system sensitivity >90% and specificity >85%.
OBJ 4. Enhance assessment methods by using virtual and physical tools specifically designed to support SAFE-UP’s novel safety solutions for future accident scenarios and to prove at least a 10% reduction in road traffic casualties.
OBJ 5. Raise road users’ general awareness about road safety in future traffic scenarios with increased implementation of automated driving functions by 25% (in relation to the untrained users). Hazard recognition will be stimulated through effective training schemes while an increase of connected VRUs is motivated.
Since the project started, as approved in the work plan, the SAFE-UP project has been working towards developing and implementing the 4 main project Demos, safety-critical scenarios simulation and developing the training materials and knowledge transfer activities. Towards this objective, a total of 24 deliverables have since then been submitted to the European Commission. This includes:
• Use case definitions and initial safety-critical scenarios
• All models are now connected to Aimsun Next and can perform simulations together.
• Integrated simulation environment that allows the co-simulation of all new models developed by the partners.
• preliminary architectures, technical specifications and risk assessment for Demos 2, 3 and 4.
• First iteration of demo 3 scenario selection available.
• Demo 4 scenarios definition
• Use case for a level 3 vehicle in peri-urban environment.
• Use case of a level 3 vehicle in automated mode.
• Use case of a level 4 vehicle in a highway environment
• Four different occupant restraint system layouts in detail.
• Demo 1 initial assembly.
• Preliminary overall impact assessment framework
• A framework for the development of training, educational, awareness-raising schemes, and strategies
• Initial Knowledge Transfer products, infographics
• Tools for researchers for KT and communicating research results.
• 2 Newsletters sent
• Knowledge Transfer webinar with OSCCAR and HEADSTART projects
• Participation in ITS World Congress 2021 in Hamburg
• Intelligent Transport publication
• Safety metrics publications.
• Use case definitions and initial safety-critical scenarios
• All models are now connected to Aimsun Next and can perform simulations together.
• Integrated simulation environment that allows the co-simulation of all new models developed by the partners.
• preliminary architectures, technical specifications and risk assessment for Demos 2, 3 and 4.
• First iteration of demo 3 scenario selection available.
• Demo 4 scenarios definition
• Use case for a level 3 vehicle in peri-urban environment.
• Use case of a level 3 vehicle in automated mode.
• Use case of a level 4 vehicle in a highway environment
• Four different occupant restraint system layouts in detail.
• Demo 1 initial assembly.
• Preliminary overall impact assessment framework
• A framework for the development of training, educational, awareness-raising schemes, and strategies
• Initial Knowledge Transfer products, infographics
• Tools for researchers for KT and communicating research results.
• 2 Newsletters sent
• Knowledge Transfer webinar with OSCCAR and HEADSTART projects
• Participation in ITS World Congress 2021 in Hamburg
• Intelligent Transport publication
• Safety metrics publications.
On the Road to Future Mobility we will see an evolving mix of automated (AV), conventional and new micro-mobility vehicles. With the coming changes to transport modes and vehicle behaviour, new risks will emerge from the novel interactions among all road users - 4-wheeled vehicles and VRUs. SAFE-UP will anticipate these impending road safety challenges in order to maximise the expected safety benefits of automation and connectivity. The traditional approach of post-collision analysis is a no-go for Vision Zero 2050. By integrating existing accident data with future traffic conditions and applying a new toolkit of safety metrics and sub-microscopic simulations of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-VRU interactions, SAFE-UP will proactively identify future safety-critical scenarios among different road users, environments and vehicles, to prioritise the development of 4 active and passive safety system prototypes integrated into demonstrator vehicles.
- One passive safety system for non-urban incident scenarios, of which 60% are car occupants:
1. Demo 1: Occupant MONITORING combined with ADAPTIVE RESTRAINT system for new seating positions.
- Three active safety interventions for urban incident scenarios, in which 71% are VRUs:
2. Demo 2: In-vehicle system for enhanced VRU DETECTION in bad weather conditions.
3. Demo 3: Vehicle integrated BRAKING & SWERVING FUNCTIONS to avoid collisions with other vehicles and VRUs.
4. Demo 4: REAL-TIME SAFETY WARNINGS to VRUs’ smart devices via enhanced communication among vehicles, infrastructure and a dedicated APP.
Mission: To ensure the safe integration of new AV and CAV technology in a constantly evolving mixed-traffic environment, meeting the EU goal of at least 10% reduction (from 2016 figures) in injuries and fatalities due to road incidents. To validate and prove the overall benefits of SAFE-UP’s innovative technologies, novel safety assessment methods will be developed, including new virtual and physical tools. All together, SAFE-UP’s innovative solutions will mitigate road incidents for total reductions by 2030 of up to: 5200 fatalities* (33%) and 170,000 (69%) serious injuries*.
Vision: To proactively create holistic safety solutions with the combined potential to mitigate 60% of future fatal road incidents.
* Predicted from European Road Safety Observatory 2016 figures.
- One passive safety system for non-urban incident scenarios, of which 60% are car occupants:
1. Demo 1: Occupant MONITORING combined with ADAPTIVE RESTRAINT system for new seating positions.
- Three active safety interventions for urban incident scenarios, in which 71% are VRUs:
2. Demo 2: In-vehicle system for enhanced VRU DETECTION in bad weather conditions.
3. Demo 3: Vehicle integrated BRAKING & SWERVING FUNCTIONS to avoid collisions with other vehicles and VRUs.
4. Demo 4: REAL-TIME SAFETY WARNINGS to VRUs’ smart devices via enhanced communication among vehicles, infrastructure and a dedicated APP.
Mission: To ensure the safe integration of new AV and CAV technology in a constantly evolving mixed-traffic environment, meeting the EU goal of at least 10% reduction (from 2016 figures) in injuries and fatalities due to road incidents. To validate and prove the overall benefits of SAFE-UP’s innovative technologies, novel safety assessment methods will be developed, including new virtual and physical tools. All together, SAFE-UP’s innovative solutions will mitigate road incidents for total reductions by 2030 of up to: 5200 fatalities* (33%) and 170,000 (69%) serious injuries*.
Vision: To proactively create holistic safety solutions with the combined potential to mitigate 60% of future fatal road incidents.
* Predicted from European Road Safety Observatory 2016 figures.