MI: MDOT to outfit some vehicles with thermal cameras

State officials hope a pilot program will help public transit drivers know when a pedestrian is in their path, even when their eyes alone can't.

MDOT will receive $551,732 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration to outfit about 60 vehicles around the state with thermal camera systems.

The cameras will improve detection of vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and bicyclists, in a variety of lighting and weather conditions, MDOT said. The cameras can detect people and animals up to six times farther than headlight beams can reach, according to MDOT.

“We are very pleased to have received this grant from our federal partners to improve safety, which ultimately could be a game-changer for public transit agencies across the country,” said Jean Ruestman, MDOT office of passenger transportation administrator. “While some high-end automobiles have thermal cameras, no transit vehicles currently have this technology, so my staff worked hard in researching this technology, making contacts and applying for this grant to make it a reality.”

Located in rural and urban environments, the initial partner transit agencies will test the functionality the transit vehicles, ranging from vans to large motorcoaches. The agencies include Blue Water Area Transit, the city of Alma, Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan, and the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) with their service provided by Indian Trails.

"As a college town and a multimodal community with pedestrians, bicyclists and an ever-growing population of electric bicycles, unleashing this new technology will help prevent pedestrian/vehicle conflicts and save lives,” said Brett Baublitz, Alma Transit Center transportation director. “The city of Alma and surrounding service areas also have a large whitetail deer population. The thermal camera systems will save on vehicle repairs by detecting oncoming deer earlier to avoid crashes. This reduces vehicle downtime while maintaining accessibility to our riders by keeping our fleet on the road.”

The cameras will be manufactured by Magna Electronic Ltd. using sensors developed by Lynred.

MDOT spokesperson Michael Frezell said the program is still in the developmental stages and there's not yet a timetable for when the vehicles will be equipped with the thermal cameras.

MDOT documents outlining the project say the cameras will work by providing "a simple, non-distracting warning system to the driver" using "neural network capabilities to support pedestrian, cyclist and object detection."

If the project proves successful, MDOT hopes to expand on use of thermal cameras. Some possible future developments, according to MDOT documentation, may include additional cameras on other parts of the vehicles or improved alert functions like a light directed at identified hazards or sensory alerts for the driver like seat or steering while vibration.

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