Software and Hardware Development for infrastructure in road traffic

A working demonstrator for an Austrian smart-road start-up, built in about three months for the ITS World Congress 2021 in Hamburg. EMBIQ added an AI camera module and a remotely switched LED signal to IoT Baseplate, a portable IoT module system for the standard K1 baseplates used on roadworks.

Technologies used

Python, Raspberry Pi, OAK-D AI camera, custom LED driver electronics, 868 MHz low-power sensor/actuator platform, IoT gateway

Tools

Jira, Microsoft Teams, Slack

Project members

3 months

Project length

IoT Development

The challenge

IoT Baseplate (Onsite Data Intelligence GmbH) is a Vienna start-up founded in early 2021. Its idea is to turn the K1 baseplate, the standard base that holds temporary traffic signs and signals on roadworks, into a carrier for sensors, actuators, batteries and a gateway, so that ordinary road equipment can collect and send data. Selected for the start-up programme of the ITS World Congress in Hamburg in October 2021, the company needed a working demonstrator to show there: a baseplate that can observe traffic with an AI camera, signal to road users with an LED and report on its own condition. Time was the hardest constraint. The first technical call took place in July, the detailed requirements for the demonstrator arrived in mid-August, and everything had to be built and tested before the congress. Three teams were involved: the start-up, a German partner supplying the low-power sensor/actuator box and gateway, and EMBIQ. Midway through, the architecture changed: instead of a separate baseplate driving the LED, as much functionality as possible was to sit in one master K1 unit with a signal box on top. Requirements kept evolving, as is normal at such an early product stage, so the scope had to be agreed step by step around a fixed date.

I worked with Arduino - a microprocessor pre-equipped with NB-IoT/LTE cat-m communication module. The chip collected information from the GPS, sensor and measured the charge level of the battery pack, and the collected data was sent to the backend.

Mateusz, IoT Engineer

Key Features

Two concepts for linking a proven, weather-resistant pedestrian-crossing LED module to the K1 body: a quick external controller or a deeper firmware and PCB modification
Custom LED driver board built and soldered by EMBIQ, then mounted in the baseplate by the hardware partner
LED controlled through a simple digital interface of the 868 MHz sensor/actuator box, with blinking and always-on modes
Remote activation of the LED via the gateway, either manually or triggered by sensor events
OAK-D AI camera integrated with a Raspberry Pi, with a Python script configured for live presentation
Effort estimate delivered within a week of receiving the requirements, so the start-up could adjust the scope in time
Interfaces and split of responsibilities aligned in joint calls with the start-up and its hardware partner

The result

EMBIQ delivered its parts of the demonstrator in time for the ITS World Congress in Hamburg in October 2021: the LED controller integrated into the baseplate and the AI camera on a Raspberry Pi as a ready component that the start-up built into its exhibition setup. According to the client, visitors liked the clear, practical approach more than generic AI promises. The start-up was visited by Austrian press and television and won ERTICO's award for the start-up with the best product innovation. In its public Clutch review, the start-up's CTO gave EMBIQ 5.0 out of 5. He pointed to the team's combination of software and hardware skills, its speed, and the way the development was run with minimal administrative effort despite unclear requirements at an early product stage. The demonstrator also gave the company a stronger position in talks with investors and partners.

Demonstrator components ready and tested for the ITS World Congress 2021 in Hamburg
ERTICO award for the start-up with the best product innovation
More serious talks with investors and partners, according to the client
5.0 out of 5 rating in the client's public Clutch review

The first step was to create mockups that the client approved. UI based on Angular, PrimeNG and Open Street Maps was created. As a result, a solution for monitoring, management and activation of IoT devices was created.

Flavio, Project Manager

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