Quanergy and iCent deliver 'smart' LiDAR for crosswalks

29 Sep 2020

To improve the safety of pedestrians in school zones in Seoul, South Korea.

Quanergy Systems, a developer of LiDAR sensors and perception solutions, has announced a new installation of its “smart” LiDAR solution to improve pedestrian crosswalk safety in school zones in Seoul, South Korea. The deployment is enabled by Quanergy’s partnership with Korea-based integrator iCent.

“Many people hear the word LiDAR and they immediately think autonomous cars,” commented Enzo Signore, CMO at Quanergy, “But there’s so much more the technology can do to improve the quality of life for people around the world. We’re excited to leverage our expertise in LiDAR to make school zones safer and more efficient.”

The 3D LiDAR-based Smart Safety School Zone solution actively monitors the movement of objects – including people and vehicles – in crosswalks to protect pedestrian safety and prevent accidents.

In the deployment in Seoul, South Korea, Quanergy's M-Series LiDAR sensors are installed at school crosswalks in the local government of Nowon-Gu. The sensors gather real-time data about the surrounding environment including patterns in vehicle traffic, vehicle speed, and pedestrian numbers.

Data analysis and routing

Quanergy’s QORTEX DTC perception software analyzes the raw data and routes it to iCent’s iSaver software platform for further evaluation. The data is then assessed to determine the actions necessary to ensure safety. With more reliable data to work with, government officials in Nowon-Gu can more easily establish effective traffic policies and install the best safety technologies to keep the crosswalk safe for drivers and pedestrians alike.

The LiDAR sensors provide 360° coverage and 95%+ accuracy to deliver reliable data with just one sensor per crosswalk. Because the solution requires a limited number of devices to install and maintain, the LiDAR-based platform provides a low total cost of ownership, say the partners.

The local government of Nowon-Gu, for example, saved on their budget by replacing their existing traffic monitoring system with this LiDAR-based solution. “With this system we can move one step closer to establishing a safety policy for the children,” said Seung Rok Oh, alderman of Nowon-Gu region.

The Quanergy LiDAR solution provides enhanced insights including situational awareness, broader coverage, and increased accuracy. For example, the solution can accurately detect a person standing in a "blind zone" – a situation that frequently contributes to pedestrian accidents. In addition, LiDAR sensors perform reliably in any environmental condition, including inclement weather and bright or low light.