Ottawa, Canada: SmartCone Technologies Intelligent Safety Infrastructure brings a new autonomous solution focusing on pedestrian safety all while reducing traffic and parking congestion in the downtown streets of Whitby.
Ottawa, Canada May 16, 2019 The Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN) – AV R&D Partnership fund administered by Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE) on behalf the Government of Ontario has awarded SmartCone Technologies, Inc. (SmartCone) with a multi- million dollar pilot project to bring a “Safety First” Autonomous Shuttle Service to the downtown area of Whitby, Ontario.
The market’s most advanced end to end Intelligent Safety Infrastructure (ISI) solution of its kind, SmartCone has brought global technology leaders together in partnership for this project. The partners include; Aurrigo Canada, Nokia Canada, Blackberry, Durham Region Transit, Ontario Tech University, the Town of Whitby, and AutoGuardian. SmartCone will also tap into the expertise, students and additional resources at Durham College, Carleton University, College La Cité and the University of Ottawa.
TheSmartConeTM modular IoT Platform will be at the core of the solution, which will work as an extra set of eyes for not only the A/V but for vulnerable road users (VRUs) as well to provide confidence and comfort to all. With the support from the host of partners Whitby will benefit from the most technologically advanced autonomous shuttle solution available.
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“Congratulations to SmartCone and the Town of Whitby on this innovative partnership,” said Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “With over 200 companies developing connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, Ontario is well positioned as a leader in this space. Through Driving Prosperity, our government’s 10-year plan for the auto sector, we are supporting the auto industry by building a competitive business climate, driving innovation, and developing industry talent.”
“The autonomous vehicle pilot project represents another way Whitby is becoming a leader of innovation. We look forward to working with our project partners and the community on this exciting initiative,” said Mayor Don Mitchell (Town of Whitby).
“For software-defined vehicles and the Smart Cities they will drive in to come to fruition, vehicles need to be able to securely communicate with other vehicles,infrastructure, and a plethora of smart devices,” said Jim Alfred, vice president and GM of BlackBerry Certicom, BlackBerry. “Pilots such as this one are an excellent way to demonstrate the value of V2X technology and we hope that many more public officials will follow the City of Whitby’s lead to accelerate the secure deployment of AVs.”
“We are entering an era of profound transformation where automation will be brought about by the digitalization and connection of everything and everyone, with the goal of enhancing quality of life in safer, healthier and more sustainable communities,” said Shawn Sparling, Head of Nokia’s Enterprise and Public Sector Business for Canada. “It is initiatives like SmartCone’s Autonomous Shuttle Service in the downtown area of Whitby that is playing a role in building and testing the ecosystem needed to address the extremely demanding requirements of the burgeoning CAV market. This successful collaboration demonstrates the strong working relationship between Nokia, Smartcone and all partners in this ecosystem. It also highlights Nokia’s contribution as a developer of high-performance networks, which are essential to smart city and smart mobility solutions.”
“For software-defined vehicles and the Smart Cities they will drive in to come to fruition, vehicles need to be able to securely communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure, and a plethora of smart devices,” said Jim Alfred, vice president and GM of BlackBerry Certicom, BlackBerry. “Pilots such as this one are an excellent way to demonstrate the value of V2X technology and we hope that many more public officials will follow the City of Whitby’s lead to accelerate the secure deployment of AVs.”
“Through AVIN and the Government of Ontario, OCE is proud to support SmartCone in their mission to create the future of safety infrastructure in the transportation industry,” says Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO, OCE.
“We are excited to see the innovative collaborations between students, researchers, and industry experts as they work to capitalize on this opportunity and support local communities in this province.”
“We are so pleased to continue to support AVIN and our partners in this transformative opportunity,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Establishing an autonomous shuttle in the Town of Whitby will provide invaluable information about how this type of vehicle performs and operates in a safe, real-world environment and how it can benefit our local communities.”
“The University of Ottawa is excited to work with SmartCone and to initiate collaborations between them and our researchers with world-leading expertise in computer vision, next- generation wireless networks, sensor development, software to validate and verify autonomous systems, and the ethical engineering of robotics and artificial intelligence,” said Marc Dubé, Vice-Dean Research, Faculty of Engineering. “Moreover, this will be an excellent opportunity for our students to work with an innovative, industry leader on real-world challenges involved in the safe and effective deployment of A/V in urban environments.”
“SmartCone is honored to lead this project with the support of AVIN and OCE,” said Jason Lee, SmartCone Founder and CEO. “Working with these technology leaders will be ground-breaking and together we will show how an autonomous solution can come to market in a real-world and truly integrated environment safely and to the benefit of all.”