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Professor Mehdi Dastani, chair of the Intelligent Systems group and the focus area Human-centered Artificial Intelligence, is leading research into how smart roads can contribute to tomorrow’s transport systems. In the new issue of Netherlands Innovation Network magazine he shares his thoughts about the roads of the future. “It goes way further than simply keeping AVs from crashing into each other.”

Dastani stresses the importance of research into smart roadway infrastructure instead of only self-driving cars (autonomous vehicle, AV). “While AVs will only know about their immediate environment, a smart roadway infrastructure will have information about the global situation across the whole roadway network."

Reducing CO2 emissions

This information could be used in different ways, for example to influence rush hour: “Local and national policymakers could use premiums, for example for peak-time travel, using inner city roads, to reduce CO2 emissions or finance the infrastructure.” Citizens could utilize the information provided by smart roads as well. “Using incentives or directives, the smart roadway infrastructure could even do a bit of matchmaking: if it learns that two AVs always travel the same commuter route at the same time, it could encourage the two users to carpool, leading to less traffic and, who knows, the start of something beautiful.”

Smart roads go way further than simply keeping AVs from crashing into each other.

About the Netherlands Innovation Network magazine

Read more about developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a selection of the countries where the is based. The magazine focuses in particular on AI in Mobility, one of the priority sectors we have identified for AI in the Netherlands as part of the . On 8 October 2019, the Netherlands launched its Strategic Action Plan for AI, along with a public-private National AI Coalition, which already has over 250 representatives from business, universities and government.