SAFE-UP officially launched
On the 22nd of June, the SAFE-UP consortium came together remotely for a digital kick-off meeting to officially launch the project. In addition to discussing the next steps, it was an opportunity to get to know each other and better understand what all the different stakeholders could bring to the project!
The SAFE-UP project is based on 3 key pillars:
future safety-critical scenarios
new safety technologies
novel safety assessment methodologies.
Future safety-critical scenarios will be designed and analysed in a highly automated and mixed traffic environment in a traffic simulation platform. Based on these scenarios, new safety technologies for active and passive systems will be developed, complemented by targeted education and training schemes. In fact, as the INEA project officer explained, this holistic approach was in fact a significant factor in INEA ultimately selecting the SAFE-UP proposal.
Partners were not deterred by the current global crisis and held the entire meeting online
As part of the kick-off meeting, a panel of experts was invited to present their visions for European mobility. Moderating the panel discussion on safety in an evolving road mobility environment, ECTRI’s president, Dr Evangelos Bekiaris, said that one of the most fascinating aspects of the project is its plan to identify future road users and how best to protect them. POLIS’ Senior Policy and Project Manager, Pedro Homem de Gouveia, pointed out that progress in tackling road fatalities has stalled because it has mainly benefitted drivers; not the vulnerable road users. "Investment in road safety is an investment in sustainable mobility," he said, as he urged the SAFE-UP partners to tackle the challenge of making the first-mile area both safe and attractive for pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, ERTICO’s Innovation and Deployment Director, Johanna Tzanidaki, stressed that improving road safety is not a simple question of technology. It’s about governance, infrastructure and, most importantly, people. SAFE-UP’s holistic approach will help ensure all stakeholders are involved in the process.
Looking ahead, the project partners will now begin the work in earnest. This means setting up the advisory board, gathering the data to create the best possible future mobility simulations, and getting ready to launch the four demos:
Demo 1. Passive safety systems in new seating positions
Demo 2. VRU detection under bad weather conditions
Demo 3. Advanced intervention functions to avoid critical events
Demo 4. Communication framework for timely warning provisions
The SAFE-UP partners left the meeting ready to tackle the next steps and start proactively working towards safe future mobility for everyone on the road.
The SAFE-UP partners, led by IDIADA, are:
Aimsun
Audi
Autoliv
Bax & Company
Bosch
CEF
CERTH
Chalmers
RWTH Aachen
TH Ingolstadt
Toyota
TNO
TU Delft
TU Eindhoven
Universita di Firenze
Virtual Vehicle
ZF Friedrichshafen