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Derq Demonstrates Industry-Leading AI Solution to Tackle Spike in Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities

Derq Demonstrates Industry-Leading AI Solution to Tackle Spike in Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities

Detroit, MI – Derq, an award-winning MIT spin-off and leading provider of real-time Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics solutions for connected roads and vehicles has successfully deployed an end-to-end solution to address burning needs in pedestrian and cyclist safety. In collaboration with Control Technologies, Inc. (CT),  Danlaw, and CeVe, Derq has most recently demonstrated in Florida its ability to prevent collisions between drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists using a variety of approaches, including connected vehicle messages, flashing pedestrian signs, actuating traffic signals, and smartphone application alerts. The solution also reports advanced safety insights, helping agencies better understand and improve road safety performance.

The technology is much needed today, as reported earlier this month by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic fatalities are at a 16-year high, with nearly 43,000 roadway fatalities in 2021, which has increased 10.5% from 2020. In addition, pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are up 13% and 5%, respectively, compared to 2020. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program was established with $5 billion to fund regional, local, and Tribal initiatives over the next five years to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. 

Deployed at the edge, Derq’s real-time perception and connectivity AI platform ingests and aggregates data from various sources, including traffic cameras, signal controllers, connected vehicles, smartphone apps, and other cloud-based services. 

“Over the years, we’ve partnered with various leading ITS technology providers across the US and have deployed thousands of intelligent sensor-based solutions,” said Pete Ganci, VP at CT, “the Derq AI Platform is the only one on the market that we have seen capable of powering a fully integrated pedestrian and cyclist safety solution, allowing vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists to communicate with each other and the infrastructure, while also delivering real-time adaptive traffic management and reporting advanced safety analytics, such as pedestrian compliance issues and near-miss reporting.” 

The Derq solution is capable of accurately detecting, tracking, and predicting the intent of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles as they approach crossings in real-time through its AI-powered computer vision algorithms. By fusing this detection data with data ingested from traffic signal controllers, connected car messages (C-V2X), and smartphone applications the solution generates real-time alerts, and sets off decisions to protect pedestrians and cyclists from hazardous conflicts with vehicles. 

“We are proud of the tremendous progress we have made in our cutting-edge technology, trusted by major agencies across the US,” said Karl Jeanbart, COO of Derq. “Driver, pedestrian, and cyclist safety are paramount to everything we do. Our proven third-party-tested solution can be deployed immediately to alert drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists about potential hazards in their environment, avoid collisions, and save lives.”

Derq and its partners recently demonstrated the solution to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials as well as industry professionals at the Traffic Engineering Research Lab (TERL), located in Tallahassee, Florida. During this demonstration, several use cases were highlighted, including:

  • Placing a call within a traffic signal controller to activate the desired pedestrian phase by utilizing the data generated from the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone application. 
  • Activating flashing pedestrian signs (such as RRFBs) at mid-block crossings for an approaching pedestrian by utilizing the data generated from the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone application. 
  • Alerting approaching vehicles both audibly and visually of pedestrian or cyclist presence based upon a potential conflict prediction made possible by the broadcasting of C-V2X messages such as Basic Safety Messages (BSM) and Personal Safety Messages (PSM) generated by the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone application. 
  • Alerting pedestrians and cyclists using a smartphone application at crossings of approaching vehicles based upon a potential conflict prediction made possible by the fusion of advanced vehicle detection and C-V2X messages (BSMs) broadcasted by the vehicle. 

In addition to all of the above, the platform also generates an array of real-time safety and traffic insights, such as the detection of traffic violations, pedestrian compliance issues, and road-user conflict (near-miss) data, providing up-to-date, granular data to enable the analysis of safety issues. 

Danlaw, an industry leader in connected vehicle technologies with more than eight thousand V2X devices throughout North America, provided its RouteLink C-V2X Roadside Unit and AutoLink C-V2X Onboard Unit for this demonstration.  

CeVe provided iOS and Android smartphone apps that connect drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to transportation infrastructure. The apps help pedestrians and cyclists request a touchless activation of crosswalk signals and notify them of nearby vehicles as they approach intersections. 

Ultra Engineering and Precision Contracting Services (PCS) also supported the technology team during the demonstration. 

About Derq: 

Derq is an award-winning MIT spin-off powering the future of roads for safer and more efficient movement of road users and autonomous vehicles. Through its proprietary and patented technology, Derq provides cities and fleets with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform that powers advanced analytics and Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) applications to help them improve road safety and better manage traffic. Derq has been recognized as an industry leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has received numerous awards, including AI company of the year at the South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in 2019 and Top Road Safety Innovator for Vision Zero in 2020 by Together for Safer Roads. For more information regarding this release, please contact press@derq.com; for sales inquiries, please contact sales@derq.comDerq is a registered trademark of Derq Inc. 

About Control Technologies (CT):

Established in 1980, Control Technologies has been a distributor of industry leading traffic control and intelligent transportation related solutions for the last 40 years. CT Group has manufactured over 20,000 Traffic Control and ITS Cabinets in since its inception. CT Group is active in the Connected Vehicle and Smart Intersection market and represents several products in that arena. The CT Group is becoming the “Go-To” company for providing the complex solutions that their customers need. Involved in the first US-based IVHS (pre-ITS) test project in the Orlando area, to more recent work with the City of Sunnyvale, CA on their signal modernization project which was funded by Google, their team of Professional Engineers (PE), Professional Traffic Operations Engineers (PTOE), and IMSA Traffic Signal Technicians bring a significant amount of experience to support any project. For more information, please visit https://www.ct-grp.com/.

About Danlaw: 

Danlaw is a global leader in connected car technology and automotive electronics. Danlaw focuses their efforts on research and development to create intelligent solutions for an increasingly connected world. The Danlaw team is dedicated to revolutionizing mobility by driving innovation and bringing people together. The 300+ Danlaw engineering professionals have provided automotive embedded electronics solutions to OEMs and their tier-1 supply base for over 37 years. Danlaw has facilities in the USA, India, and China. Danlaw specializes in embedded systems development and testing for embedded control units (ECUs), vehicle network communications, infotainment, and telematics. Customers include automotive OEMs, electronics suppliers, fleet, and automotive insurance companies worldwide. For more information, please visit www.danlawinc.com or email info@danlawinc.com

About CeVe: 

The CeVe smartphone app helps pedestrians and cyclists by automatically activating crosswalk signals as they approach intersections and notifying them of nearby vehicles. The Ce¯Ve¯ app also helps drivers optimize speeds to avoid red light stops, reducing fuel consumption, costs, and carbon emissions, while also improving safety by providing red light warnings, speed limit notifications, and information about nearby pedestrians and cyclists. For more information, please visit www.ceve.io or email info@ceve.io