Artificial Intelligence Can Now Predict Road Accidents In Advance
Today’s world is connected by the luxury of car navigation, with all the up-to-date GPS technology, map apps, and camera alerts all around us, but we still rely on fixed traffic signs for get from point A to point B.
Scientists at MIT’s Computer and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence have created a model that predicts very high-resolution accident risk maps.
The model is based on a combination of historical accident data, road maps, satellite images, and GPS tracks; These data are used to analyze risks and predict future accidents.
“By capturing the underlying risk allocation that determines the likelihood of future accidents at all locations, and without historical data, we can find safer routes, allow auto insurance companies to offer insurance plans. customized according to customers’ travel routes, helping city planners design safer roads and even predict future accidents,” says MIT CSAIL Ph.D. student Songtao He, lead author of a new research article.
Accidents around the world cost 3% of global GDP and are the leading cause of death among children and young adults.
The model detects high-risk locations using GPS route contours, which provide key information about the density, speed, and direction of traffic, as well as satellite imagery that defines road structures, the number of lanes, and even the number of pedestrians.
“Our model can be generalized from one city to another by combining several tracks from seemingly disjointed data sources. This is a step towards general AI because our model can predict maps of accidents in unexplored areas,” explains Amin Sadeghi, senior scientist at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and author of the article.
“The model can be used to derive a useful crash map even without historical crash data, which could positively impact city planning and policymaking when comparing imaginary scenarios.”
Also Read: The World’s First Artificial Intelligence University Is Going To Be Inaugurated In Abu Dhabi : UAE
“If people can use the hazard map to identify potentially high-risk sections of road, they can take action at an early stage to reduce the risk of their trips. Apps like Waze and Apple Maps have crash function tools, but we try to prevent crashes before they happen,” he says.
If MIT scientists made this model available to the common man, it could be a game-changer for future traffic problems and prevent potentially fatal car crashes.
Also Read: Musk Says Tesla is Planning To Build AI-Controlled Humanoid Robot Named Optimus