Smart Streets

Passengers carrying mobile devices, wearables, connected or autonomous driving cars, delivery robots, drones, connected street furniture, from the digital displays to the sensor monitored waste containers and canalization - the streets of the future have be smart and connected. They are in need of a comprehensive IoT-infrastructure with transmission standards matching the data communication (Bluetooth LE, LoRa, Li-Fi) as well as innovative IoT sensors and services that guarantee security and comfort for all road users.

Installing a comprehensive network coverage for digitalized IoT data interaction in cities can be very challenging and expensive. Upgrading streetlights with connected and smart IoT Gateways is a cost effective solution to this problem. Streetlights are ideal because of their exposed position, the relatively small distances between them and the preexisting energy supply.

The Smart Streets project develops solutions for upgrading streetlights and street furniture with smart IoT Gateways, which provide a scalable data structure accessible in real time from anywhere. Our new modular sensor systems, smart and distributed data analytics in the IoT Gateways of the streetlights and a fast and secure M2M data transmission with radar and optical light communication (Li-Fi) create numerous possibilities for innovative services for smart streets. IoT sensor data will be integrated into the streetlight, pre-processed and analyzed. This reduces the amount of transmitted data while increasing data quality, local privacy and security. Simultaneously connected infrastructure can deliver specific data and local information relevant to the situation to mobile road user, thus offering collective intelligence with a local memory (of traffic situation e.g.).

In Order to realize this goal, a smart and connected street, three berlin based Fraunhofer institutes collaborate closely with innovative regional enterprises, city administration and other national and international smart city partners, leading institute Fraunhofer FOKUS with Fraunhofer IZM and Fraunhofer HHI. This unique combination of expertise, Fraunhofer IZM specializing in microelectronics and sensor integration, Fraunhofer FOKUS specializing in (M2M) communication systems and semantic data intelligence, as well as Fraunhofer HHI specializing in photonic networks and systems, enables the conception and prototype development of a unique smart IoT infrastructure for smart streets.

Our Smart Streets infrastructure as service offer is the foundation for the development of new, innovative products, services and functionality, for example, city administration services monitoring and planning traffic or collectively used mobility services and smart mobility for connected cars (autonomous driving, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), local information services (digital content, warnings, advertisement). This provides a higher level of safety for all road users and content smart street service users. Furthermore, this creates new ways for network providers, smart street infrastructure, service providers, local industry, public administration and mobility service providers to interact.