Transport and Smart City
How mobility and cities benefit from IoT and camera technology
The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way we live and move. Its impact could not be greater - IoT is enabling new applications such as intelligent traffic management, parking management and waste disposal, ensuring more efficient use of resources such as water and clean air, and thus making an essential contribution to the well-being of the population. But how can mobility and urban planning be designed to be smart and sustainable? And what role does camera technology play in this?
Globally, more than half of the world's population already lives in cities - and the trend towards urbanisation, the rise of new metropolises and the densification of existing cities continues unabated. Engineers, urban planners and transport planners are responsible for designing these spaces in such a way that they remain liveable and can be managed sensibly. Digital technologies help to solve these challenges. Image processing with cameras and artificial intelligence play a special role here - they enable applications that were previously unthinkable. Here you can see what possibilities are already available today.
Avoiding queues and traffic light backups
How can waiting time in front of recycling centres be minimised? By using intelligent image sensors, for example. They determine the waiting time in real time and calculate a forecast for the perfect visit date. Citizens can access this information via app or the recycling centre operators' website. This minimises delays and backlogs.
Detecting foreign matter and fill level in waste disposal
Cameras from IDS help detect contaminants of various materials in waste disposal and materials management, which optimises waste handling and makes it more sustainable. The timely detection of unwanted material can also prevent damage to recycling machines. Furthermore, camera technology can be used to inform employees in real time about the fill level of containers.
Intelligently managing streets and parking spaces
An embedded vision sensor helps drivers find the next free parking space. Cities can use this solution to implement new mobility concepts based on data. This not only reduces emissions, but also increases parking revenues.
Optimally handling parcels by automation
Machine vision enables robots to remove packages from bulk containers, separate tightly stacked or overlapping packages and place them precisely in infeed sorters. It also helps to detect and sort out damaged parcels. You can find more information in our application reports "Picking the unknown" and "Robots on their own".
Realising Smart Picking with 2D and 3D Cameras
3D camera technology enables robots to react and grip adaptively instead of rigidly following pre-programmed sequences. However, for activities such as picking tasks, a high degree of intelligence is still required - for example, to identify and analyse objects before gripping them. In this video, we show you how this can be solved with 3D technology and intelligent 2D cameras.
Determining position for installation work
Reliable orientation and precise positioning is not only important in the city, but also underwater at sea. A camera can, for example, combine visual environmental information with the help of special software and provide navigation information. This avoids high-bandwidth data transmission to the topside. Read more in our application report "On position in rough seas".
Our cameras for your applications
This is just a small excerpt of the many possibilities that image processing offers today. Our versatile 2D uEye industrial cameras with their almost innumerable variants can be integrated into the most diverse applications. With IDS NXT, we also offer you compact, smart embedded vision cameras that can execute artificial intelligence themselves. Thanks to the all-in-one AI solution IDS NXT, users do not need any expertise in deep learning, image processing or programming to set up and use an intelligent camera for their applications. And with the Ensenso camera families, we offer flexible and powerful 3D cameras that help robots see and whose 3D image information is indispensable for many automation tasks. Contact our team - we will be happy to help you with your applications!
