{"id":113,"date":"2021-01-19T10:36:10","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T15:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/simcenter\/?p=113"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:37:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T20:37:58","slug":"cuip-cdot-partnering-with-seoul-robotics-and-ouster-to-improve-pedestrian-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/quantum-center\/2021\/01\/19\/cuip-cdot-partnering-with-seoul-robotics-and-ouster-to-improve-pedestrian-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"CUIP, CDOT Partnering with Seoul Robotics and Ouster to Improve Pedestrian Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Chattanooga, TN. <\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga\u2019s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP), with the Chattanooga Department of Transportation, are partnering with Seoul Robotics and Ouster to make Chattanooga safer for pedestrians utilizing light detection and ranging (Lidar). Ouster\u2019s lidar sensors and Seoul Robotics\u2019 perception software, SENSR\u2122, which uses deep learning technologies, would help CUIP and CDOT understand pedestrian patterns and risk factors to be mitigated.<\/p>\n

The lidar systems will work in conjunction with the existing MLK Smart Corridor sensors to create a more robust picture of how pedestrians and vehicles interact. Lidar sensors and perception software create extremely accurate, 3D representations of the physical environment through the identification and classification of objects, giving researchers the data they need to understand traffic and pedestrian patterns that could be dangerous for citizens. In 2018, Hamilton County had 100 pedestrian injuries and 10 pedestrian fatalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to find ways to work with CUIP and industry partners to further our goal of a safer, smarter Chattanooga,\u201d Chattanooga Smart Cities Director, Kevin Comstock, said. \u201cWe know that technology, data, and collaboration can help us reduce the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new lidar sensors will be located in two downtown Chattanooga intersections: Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Market St., and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Georgia Ave. These locations were selected for their close proximity to city parks and event spaces and their subsequent high volume of pedestrian activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollaboration is critical within the smart cities community. All of our work is focused on a common good, which leads to a constant flow of progress and innovation to research and technologies.\u201d CUIP Director, Mina Sartipi, noted. \u201cThis specific collaboration will give us the ability to make our city much safer for pedestrians.\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution offered by Seoul Robotics and Ouster Lidar is able to detect, track and predict the movement of pedestrians and vehicles, identifying potential incidents such as accidents and wrong-way driving as well as better understanding traffic flow and suggesting reroutes. The lidar-based solution will augment existing camera infrastructure to enhance the accuracy and detail of safety data while preserving the privacy of pedestrians.<\/p>\n

“Lidar and other 3D data solutions have the potential to make cities safer for both pedestrians and drivers, but for too long the technology has been inaccessible due to cost and the need for affordable, sensor agnostic software. Our technology is changing that,\u201c said HanBin Lee, co-founder and CEO of Seoul Robotics. \u201cThis installation with the City of Chattanooga and CUIP\u00a0represents the future of smart cities, and will be instrumental in showcasing to other cities around the world how insights from 3D data can fuel a more efficient and safer society.”<\/p>\n

\u201cLidar has great potential to both reduce accidents and increase efficiency by powering smart city infrastructure. CUIP and the City of Chattanooga are setting a leading example for the country in how to unlock this potential,\u201d said Barrs Lang, General Manager of Americas at Ouster. He added, \u201cThis project is just the beginning, and we\u2019re looking forward to working closely together to build a safer, smarter Chattanooga.\u201d<\/p>\n