{"id":319171,"date":"2021-11-18T14:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?post_type=selected&amp;p=319171"},"modified":"2021-11-18T14:25:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:25:00","slug":"predicting-the-environmental-effects-of-city-traffic","status":"publish","type":"selected","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/selected\/predicting-the-environmental-effects-of-city-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the environmental effects of city traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Researchers from the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI develop more sustainable intelligent traffic by bringing together simulators from different fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if half of all the cars in a city were self-driving? Would traffic jams be avoided, would emissions go down? Or what if diesel cars were forbidden from specific blocks &#8211; what would happen to the noise&nbsp; level, what about the quality of living more generally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Questions like this may soon get answers, thanks to an exceptional virtual laboratory that researchers from the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI are currently building. The virtual laboratory is a digital environment into which the researchers will bring simulators that address the environmental effects of city traffic in different ways, writes Aalto University in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aalto.fi\/en\/news\/unique-virtual-laboratory-predicts-environmental-effects-of-city-traffic\">press release<\/a>. Particular focus is on the changes about to happen due to automatic vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are developing AI methods that predict how automatic cars interact with each other and how different traffic arrangements influence it. We also account for, among other things, effects on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and people\u2019s social well-being\u201d, says associate professor\u00a0Laura Ruotsalainen\u00a0from the University of Helsinki. She is responsible for advancing sustainability-related research at FCAI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the traffic effects that the researchers want to account for are multifold, the virtual laboratory brings together research results from very different fields. This makes the project exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo be able to assess, for instance, the climate effects of autonomous vehicles, we must build an environment in which we can combine information across models. So far, there aren\u2019t many virtual laboratories that do this, explains associate professor\u00a0Ville Kyrki\u00a0from Aalto University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are, then, also developing an understanding of how these kinds of environments can be built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"0-ai-solutions-for-a-smooth-traffic-flow\">AI solutions for a smooth traffic flow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The new virtual laboratory will, at least in the beginning, concentrate on passenger traffic. Although the main focus is on self-driving cars, also other kinds of AI applications can be simulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor instance bus schedules could be optimized by making use of location data\u201d, Kyrki contemplates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main goal is to develop as realistic and understanding as possible on how the methods that are developed would work in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe will delve into how the results of the simulation can be brought to use in the real world\u201d, Ruotsalainen says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-setting-up-the-infrastructure\">Setting up the infrastructure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers are currently building the laboratory\u2019s digital infrastructure, that is, computer programs. Most of the models that will be included in the virtual laboratory already exist. Kyrki believes that choosing the right models and bringing them into the digital infrastructure will take a year, perhaps more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, the researchers call the laboratory Sustainable Mobility and Autonomous Systems. It combines know-how from FCAI\u2019s\u00a0Highlight Program F\u00a0and the Research Program\u00a0Autonomous AI. The former concentrates on advancing FCAI research that contributes to sustainability science, whereas the latter develops AI methods for autonomous machines and devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ruotsalainen is assistant professor at the University of Helsinki and Helsus (Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science). Her research focuses on how self-driving cars make observations and how traffic can be optimized from a sustainability perspective. Ville Kyrki is a professor in the field of intelligent machines at Aalto University. He has studied, among other things, the observing capabilities, decision-making and learning of autonomous machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Also interesting: <\/strong><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/en\/pumped-up-for-the-winter\/\">Pumped up for the winter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2084,"featured_media":319172,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":""},"categories":[26049],"tags":[57008,29080,125723,45517,21295,75245],"location":[53484],"internal_archives":[],"class_list":["post-319171","selected","type-selected","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility","tag-aalto-university","tag-artificial-intelligence-en","tag-finnish-center-for-artificial-intelligence","tag-simulation-models","tag-traffic","tag-university-of-helsinki","location-finland-nl"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/OXXw2bNT-simulator_1-1.png","coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/mauro-mereu\/","display_name":"Mauro Mereu"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 years ago","modified":"Updated 4 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 18, 2021","modified":"Updated on November 18, 2021"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 18, 2021 2:25 pm","modified":"Updated on November 18, 2021 2:25 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"\u00a9 Aalto University - Matti Leinonen","tax_additional":{"category":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/mobility\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mobility<\/span>"],"slug":"category","name":"Categories"},"post_tag":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/aalto-university\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Aalto University<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/artificial-intelligence-en\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Artificial Intelligence<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/finnish-center-for-artificial-intelligence\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/simulation-models\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">simulation models<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/traffic\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">traffic<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tag\/university-of-helsinki\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">University of Helsinki<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Aalto University<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Artificial Intelligence<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">simulation models<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">traffic<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">University of Helsinki<\/span>"],"slug":"post_tag","name":"Tags"},"language":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">EN<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">EN<\/span>"],"slug":"language","name":"Tags"},"post_translations":{"linked":[],"unlinked":[],"slug":"post_translations","name":""},"location":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/location\/finland-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Finland<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Finland<\/span>"],"slug":"location","name":"Locations"},"internal_archives":{"linked":[],"unlinked":[],"slug":"internal_archives","name":"Internal Archives"}},"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/selected\/319171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/selected"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/selected"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319171"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=319171"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=319171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}