Making roads safer – even without self-driving cars

Drivers heading out of Budapest on the M1/M7 motorway, nearing the Budaörs flyover roundabout, may notice gantries equipped with more sensors than usual. This stretch of road is among the most advanced “smart motorway” sections in the world, with a comparable system found only in China, spanning a much longer distance.

One and a half gigabytes per second

At a current length of 800 metres (soon to be extended to 1.5 kilometres), the section is monitored on both sides by 39 state-of-the-art devices – LiDAR sensors, radar units, thermal cameras, and cameras offering both wide and narrow fields of view. These sensors transmit 1.5 gigabytes of data per second via direct optical links to the headquarters of Magyar Közút (Hungarian Public Roads) in Szigetszentmiklós, south of Budapest, where the information is processed by a supercomputer.

This is the Eureka Central System, a joint Hungarian–Austrian initiative involving Magyar Közút Zrt. and experts from BME, who have been working together since last autumn to build and refine the system. While Magyar Közút handled the installation of the sensing equipment, BME’s researchers and developers were responsible for programming and synchronising the system to ensure seamless operation. The system is now in the fine-tuning phase, with AI models currently being trained to interpret the sensor data. The project is now nearing its core objective: 

creating a complete digital replica of the road section – also known as a “digital twin.”

“You can think of the digital twin as a VR video game that mirrors the physical world in real time,” said András Rövid, senior research fellow at BME’s Department of Automotive Technologies and the project’s technical lead, in an interview with bme.hu. The digital twin doesn’t just reproduce the road surface, lanes and roadside features – it also tracks all the vehicles using the road at any given moment.

And “real time” is to be taken literally. The algorithm behind the digital twin incorporates predictive modelling to eliminate even the tiniest delays in data transmission – fractions of a second that can make all the difference during high-speed incidents. For example, when travelling at 130 km/h, every split second counts. The system’s mission is to provide live updates about traffic movements, making driving not just safer, but also smoother and more efficient.

One practical outcome of the innovation will be a mobile app currently under development. The app will display live video on a smartphone screen, offering multiple perspectives and showing every nearby vehicle and object – including those hidden from the view, even with advanced in-car sensors. Drivers will receive supportive real-time safety messages and alerts based on this information.

András Rövid

“Smart roads are being tested in many places around the world, but as far as we know, only China has anything this advanced – along a 157-kilometre stretch,” said Rövid. He added that the department’s team will travel to China this summer to meet with local experts and share insights.

The long-term vision is to roll out this intelligent, driver-assisting technology along longer sections of Hungary’s motorways. By doing so, it could help reduce the number of accidents and traffic jams, while also easing the environmental impact of driving – thanks in part to data that helps motorists maintain optimal speeds.

The system can improve the safety of long-distance road travel without requiring every vehicle to be autonomous, especially if it’s expanded to include traffic management functions and personalised guidance. Moreover, Magyar Közút could obtain detailed statistics broken down by lane, vehicle type, manoeuvres and hazardous situations. These insights could then be displayed on overhead digital motorway signs. Law enforcement authorities would also benefit from the deployed technology, while it also offers ideal testing conditions for automotive companies developing autonomous driving features. The remaining portion of the 1.5-kilometre section will be completed this year, and the experience gained here will provide a foundation for large-scale developments in the future.

“We believe this project can strengthen Hungary’s reputation in the automotive industry by enabling real-world testing of cutting-edge technologies and vehicle innovations. This could completely reshape traffic management and road safety by providing early warnings for dangers that lie beyond the reach of sensors and visibility. We are looking forward to applying the results of the pilot project in everyday road operations and in keeping travellers better informed.” said Máté Verdes, Head of the Intelligent Transport Systems Department at Magyar Közút Nonprofit Zrt.

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