This new artificial intelligence traffic light will make the way to work less 'miserable'

A new study in Germany shows that traffic lights using AI technology can make traveling on the road faster and reduce traffic jams. That means we won't have to spend much time at intersections, which is good news for those who hate waiting. The research involved the Fraunhofer Society, the leading organization for science, engineering and technology in Germany.

AI-integrated traffic lights have been tested in Germany to reduce waiting times for red lights.

New Atlas reports that the team installed high-resolution cameras and radar sensors at a busy intersection with traffic lights in the town of Lemgo (Germany). The devices help to record the number of vehicles waiting for a red light, the length of time each vehicle has to wait, and the average speed of a vehicle traveling through the intersection.

Then, a computer algorithm based on Machine Learning (an area of ​​artificial intelligence) is run against different traffic lights. These lights will continuously adapt to actual traffic conditions to see which option saves the most waiting time.

According to simulations, the best AI models can improve traffic flow by 10-15%. It doesn't sound like much, but try adding up all the time you have to wait on the road each day and reduce it by 15%. Not bad!

The algorithm will be used to control traffic lights at actual intersections in Germany in the next few months and is very promising.

The team is also looking into ways to reduce waiting times at pedestrian crossings. Along with many other advanced technologies and devices, LiDAR sensors have also been used to assess pedestrian speed to ensure they have enough time to cross the street before the light turns green.