The Infrastructure-Automotive Technology Laboratory (iATL) has opened in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA, creating a single technology hub for connected vehicle safety applications.
The 4,400ft2 facility includes different types of electronic devices that control everything from traffic signals to school zone safety beacons to electronic crosswalks.
It will give auto makers, cell network operators, traffic control device companies and semi-conductor manufacturers a single hub for creating, developing and testing new applications.
Auto makers will be able to develop interactive safety apps that interact with the devices and cell network operators will manage communications including 5G.
iATL enables auto makers to test safety applications in real-world conditions in Alpharetta, which operates the first large-scale deployment of connected vehicle infrastructure technology using all forms of communication simultaneously.
Georgia Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan said, “The iATL is a prime example of Georgia’s leadership in developing critical technology that is so important to our state and national economies while at the same time improving the safety of all of us who use our streets and highways today.”
Jovan Zagajac, head of connected vehicle technology for Ford Motor Company, said, “The ability of vehicles to communicate with the traffic control infrastructure is crucial to improving roadway safety and for the rapid adoption of connected vehicle technology across the fleet.”
Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information, said, “The iATL is where auto makers, roadway operators and technology companies can come together and make the vision of connected vehicles a reality now.
“The iATL is not just a collection of traffic devices in a laboratory, but it is embedded in an ecosystem of 125 connected intersections to test the Day One applications in real-world conditions.”
The opening day on Friday, January 10, began with a workshop outlining policy and plans for connecting smart cars to smart infrastructure, before the ribbon cutting ceremony.