A smart piece of circular cycle path on TU Delft Campus that keeps track of how much traffic is passing over it and in which direction, is one of our latest developments. Another mobility trial is the Smart Mobility Hub, a place where various means of transport are made available. These hubs provide insight into usage and traveller behaviour.

These projects are the result of a collaboration between two TU Delft Campus field labs: Delft on Internet of Things (Do IoT) and Mobility Innovation Center Delft (MICD). In the coming years, they will use the latest digital technologies to test smart mobility systems to keep Delft accessible and liveable.

Artificial intelligence

The sensors in the intelligent bicycle path run on artificial intelligence and complement existing techniques to gain insight into pedestrian and cyclist flows. In addition, they can also be used in places where cameras cannot be hung, for example because there are trees.

Smart Mobility Hubs are places where residents and visitors can easily and quickly change means of transport, such as rental cars, bicycles or public transport. The hubs are located at strategic locations in the city. The TU Delft researchers will investigate which places in Delft are most suitable, make a digital design and test it in a virtual environment, in order to gain insight into the expected effects of the hubs on traffic flows.

5G and Internet of Things

Programme manager Lenneke de Voogd-Claessen of Do IoT: “The development of smart mobility solutions requires a fast and reliable mobile communication infrastructure. We have the latest scientific insights from TU Delft in the field of communication technology, which we can immediately test in practice, together with innovative start-ups and companies.”

Acceleration of innovation

The combination of Do IoT and the MICD is expected to accelerate innovation in the field of sustainable and intelligent mobility solutions. A pilot in the centre of Delft plays an important role in this develoment. Alderman Bas Vollebregt (Economics): “The project fits in seamlessly with the ambition to realise a more car-free city centre in Delft. The results of this project will be shared with other municipalities, so that the knowledge gained can be used throughout the region.”

Thanks to the smart bicycle path, the existing sensor network on TU Delft Campus will be expanded with an underground part. Sascha Hoogendoorn-Lanser of MICD: “The TU Delft Campus is an ideal testing ground for analysing people’s behaviour and testing innovations in real life, in a privacy-proof and safe manner.”

Both projects are co-funded by the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam The Hague.