CES 2019: Conti aims to make cities smarter and safer

At CES 2019 in Las Vegas, the automotive supplier and technology group Continental announced solutions and key technologies for the cities of the future, centered around the theme "Mobility at your service".

"Intelligent mobility is a fundamental pillar of the Smart City. Moreover, the number of connected devices already exceeds the world population. This enables real-time information exchange between vehicles, infrastructure, and people," says Helmut Matschi, Member of the Executive Board of Continental and Head of the Interior Division.

At CES, the Hanover-based company wants to present approaches that "promote mobility intelligence, reduce traffic congestion, decrease accidents and pollution, and address the greatest challenges of urban mobility," Matschi continues. Particularly exciting is the "Intelligent Intersection" project, first presented at the last CES, which represents the first extensive pilot installation live in Walnut Creek (California).

Live and in color: Real-time data from intelligent intersection
At the trade show, a three-dimensional view of the intersection can be seen via augmented reality. Visitors gain insight into the live transmission of traffic data from the intersection. With a range of sensors and powerful sensor fusion algorithms, the intelligent intersection creates a complete image of the environment. For example, a driver approaching the intersection can be warned if pedestrians are crossing outside his field of view. Additionally, the data can be used to control signal changes, optimize traffic flow, and reduce emissions and idle times at intersections, notes the provider, listing further advantages.

Growth in E-Carsharing: Fleet Management Solution

A city fleet management solution is also introduced, which grants users easy access to e-car-sharing vehicles, optimizes fleet management for the operator, and is supposed to offer high user convenience to the end customer. Additionally, the administrative effort of the fleet operator will be reduced, physical key handovers will be eliminated and vehicle maintenance will be simplified, as promised. The entire process is to be handled via a mobile app, such as booking, access, and return of the vehicle as well as billing, payment, and damage reporting. A nice side idea: if a customer charges the vehicle while on the go, they are supposed to receive a premium for it.

Conti's Clever Lamp Post

The technology company is also placing great hopes on integrating street lighting into the smart city. At CES 2019, it wants to showcase the Intelligent Street Lamp concept. Using automotive competencies in the infrastructure of cities, the Intelligent Street Lamp concept is supposed to enable the control of lighting as well as simultaneous monitoring and analysis of the surroundings, traffic, and parking possibilities in smart cities. Secure connectivity and sensor technology would allow street lighting to be controlled remotely and adjusted according to traffic flow.

Clothing Gets Smart Too

But Conti is also taking action elsewhere: according to the company's vision, the so-called Intelligent Wearables will soon reduce vehicle energy consumption and enhance safety and comfort for drivers. One idea includes heating pads integrated into work jackets and powered by batteries. To use small, discreet batteries and avoid cumbersome recharging, the jacket is equipped with an inductive charging system.

Platform Collects City Data

Finally, with the "City Data as a Service" (CDaaS) platform, they aim to provide compatible, integrated end-to-end services within the smart city portfolio, including Intelligent Intersection, Intelligent Street Lamp, Intelligent Crossing, Automated Shuttle, Smart Parking, and City Fleet Management. The platform collects and processes data from various solutions, combines them, and thereby creates mobility intelligence, according to the provider. For example, the intelligent street lamp can determine a free parking spot, whose availability is then predicted by CDaaS using artificial intelligence for Smart Parking, explains the provider.