Applications of Smartdust in Transport (ASTRA)
Applications of Smartdust in Transport (ASTRA) is a collaborative study between Cenamps, the Centre for Electronic Nano-Systems (CENS), the Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Department for Transport (DfT). Cenamps worked closely with TORG and CENS to help secure project funds from DfT. The aim of the study is to explore the potential innovative applications of smartdust and intelligent devices to improve the UK road transport infrastructure. ASTRA forms part of the DfT Horizon research programme, designed for the DfT to collate and analyse insight and possible solutions for the future transport infrastructure over the next 30 years.
Smartdust is a collection of small, independent, low-cost and intelligent devices often incorporating a sensor and computer. The devices are linked together through a wireless network and are able to both communicate with each other and a central computer/network via wireless interconnections.
Smartdust has the potential to provide robust and highly effective solutions for collecting local data, monitoring and alerting. Although the technology is still in an early stage and faces many technological challenges, it is being hailed as a technology that can revolutionise the way in which our cities, homes and work environments interact with us.
Potential applications of smartdust include: ·
- automatic vehicle location
- real-time passenger information
- pay-as-you-go car insurance
- tackling road safety issues
- on-demand rural public transport
- managing congestion
- monitoring levels of pollution
- government road charging schemes
Professor Phil Blythe, Director of TORG comments: “The project enabled partners to harness the research and development skills in the North East of England, to push forward radical new thinking in how to implement road-user charging using new generation wireless technology and the leading edge nanotechnology design and fabrication expertise…”
The ASTRA project is still progressing forward, with objectives to:
- Present state-of–the-art insight and review of Smartdust telecommunications technologies
- Investigate likely development pathways and capabilities of the technologies over the next 30 years
- Conduct on-road proof of concept trials
- Identify and develop ideas on a range of potential applications
- Investigate implementation strategies, analysis of market opportunities, standards and links with other emerging technologies