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David Owens, Darwin’s head of technical trials and chief pilot, went on O2 Business’s Blue Door podcast this week to talk about the environmental benefits of connected transportation. You can listen to Blue Door episode 27, ‘COP26 - Connectivity creating better transport options’, over here. The entire thing is worth listening to; it’s only half an hour, and David, who has over forty years of telecommunications experience, gives interesting insight into this important area of sustainability. Between the 17.30 and 21.40 marks, David and the host Danny Hicks talk about the Darwin SatCom Lab and the work we’re doing here. They touch on subjects including: the Renault Twizys we’ve converted into autonomous vehicles the different ways autonomous vehicles ‘see’, including LiDAR the problem of insuring autonomous vehicles, and how we’ve partnered with Aviva to help solve it the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle how Darwin is aiming to create a ‘network of networks’ by combining satellites and terrestrial base stations our ubiquitous communications trial in Cornwall O2 Business’s Blue Door podcast is a weekly technology and business podcast that often looks to the future. If you’re interested in more discussions like this, you can find previous episodes over here. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

It was a pleasure to be involved with the University of Glasgow’s ‘Smart, Green, Connected Vehicles: The Future of Transportation’ panel on 4 November! The occasion marked the opening of the Darwin Innovation Lab at the University of Glasgow. This discussion was hosted in Glasgow and streamed online as part of the university’s COP26 programme. Darwin’s co-founder and delivery director, Daniela Petrovic, was one of the panellists. The moderator was Nuran Acur, professor of innovation at the University of Glasgow and Darwin’s business model innovation lead. Nuran ably hosted the discussion, ensuring everyone had a chance to speak, and talked about the need to bring different stakeholders together in order to achieve innovation. Also present on the panel were: David Owens, head of industry trials at Virgin Media O2, and Darwin’s chief drone pilot. Robert Gardner, head of innovation at Network Rail. Rafael Hidalgo, telecommunications engineer at Hispasat. Paul Coffey, CEO of Scotland 5G Centre. Muhammad Imran, professor of communication systems at the University of Glasgow. You can watch the panel online; the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School has uploaded it to YouTube over here. If you don’t have time to watch the entire thing, though, we’ve given an overview of some of the talking points below. Daniela Petrovic: Darwin, CAVs and the environment Daniela spoke about some of the technologies Darwin has been working on and how they could help to enable greener transportation. For example, Darwin and ESA’s Air Quality Unit is distinct from existing air quality monitoring stations, which are static. It’s important to have these static stations, which can give information about air quality in a particular area, but the Air Quality Unit can be attached to a vehicle, and can therefore gather information about emissions from that particular vehicle as it moves. She also discussed how, in the future, CAVs could be used as a way to connect other means of transport. For example, autonomous vehicle services could transport passengers between rail stations on different lines when there’s no existing public transport between those points, reducing the need for traditional petrol-powered vehicles. David Owens: mobile networks and the environment David Owens talked about how O2 and other mobile networks have an important role to play in reducing transport emissions. Tackling transport emissions, both by reducing transportation use and by investing in greener transport, is one of the most important things we can do in order to drive ourselves towards net zero. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world saw temporary but dramatic reductions in carbon emissions due to lockdowns and home working. If employees have the connectivity they need to work effectively from home, they can reduce the number of days they need to go into the office, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint from commuting. We’ve discovered new ways to live and work during this pandemic, and we now have the opportunity to alter our habits in ways that will be beneficial for the environment. Robert Gardner: trains and the environment Robert Gardner discussed Network Rail’s environmental sustainability strategy, which was published recently; you can take a look at it over here. In the same way safety procedures are baked into the current rail system, Network Rail hopes to build in sustainability procedures. Its priorities include creating a low-emissions railway, reducing industrial waste through reuse or recycling, and protecting and enhancing biodiversity on railway-owned land. It also intends to create a more reliable railway, resilient against the effects of climate change. It’s important to take action to reduce emissions, but it’s also important to be prepared for the problems climate change is anticipated to cause, such as more frequent episodes of severe weather. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to choose green forms of transport, which can be achieved by making sure we have accessible, reliable rail systems, and by making sure that organising and booking a journey is a simple process. Connectivity is a valuable tool for this. It’s also possible for bus and train systems to work together for greater efficiency, as seen in, for example, London’s Oyster card. Rafael Hidalgo: satellites and the environment Rafael Hidalgo talked about how Hispasat valued innovation, and how it demonstrated that value by collaborating with innovative projects such as the Darwin Project. Hispasat is currently developing a solution to provide connectivity to passengers in high-speed trains. Robert Gardner mentioned that high-speed rail is one of the greenest forms of transport available. By ensuring that passengers stay connected, Hispasat can help to make it a more attractive form of transport for travellers. Rafael also touched on the positive results of Darwin’s ubiquitous communications trial in Cornwall, in which terrestrial and satellite networks were able to complement each other in areas where one form of network was unreliable. For reliable universal coverage, it’s essential for terrestrial networks and satellites to work together. Paul Coffey: 5G and the environment Paul Coffey spoke about how Scotland 5G Centre is helping to address 5G adoption challenges by ensuring the infrastructure for widespread 5G use is in place. Scotland 5G Centre and similar organisations can broaden access to 5G and help people understand what it can do, laying the groundwork for innovation, which can help us to establish greener ways of doing things. It’s important to ensure people have access to a strong infrastructure regardless of where they live. If there are areas where people don’t have access to public transport or a reliable connection for remote work, for example, they’ll be forced to use the car. Muhammad Imran: universities, collaboration and the environment Muhammad Imran spoke about the importance of universities as a place for innovation. Universities allow people from many disciplines to come together and discuss problems, pooling their varied knowledge and experience. Innovation thrives when people are able to share different viewpoints; we touched on this in our article about the value of diversity in the workplace. Muhammad also touched on how connectivity achieves a similar thing, allowing us to distribute information and hold discussions that can encourage people to change their long-term behaviours in greener ways. A recurring theme throughout the panel was the importance of discussion and collaboration in pursuit of new ideas. Projects like Darwin enable government, industry and academia to work together, creating fertile ground for innovation. Similarly, events like COP26 let experts from many different fields tackle the problems that we as a planet are facing. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Air quality is an issue for countless people, particularly those living in urban areas, and climate change is an issue for everyone. In the fight against the pollutants behind these issues, information is essential. In collaboration with ESA and AWS, Darwin has been working on the Air Quality Unit, a device that measures the pollutants emitted by vehicles, and the Air Quality Platform, an online platform that gathers and processes this information. We spoke to Darwin’s CEO, Milos Petrovic, about how this air quality analysis works and why it matters. What is the Air Quality Unit? The Air Quality Unit is a collection of sensors and electronics inside a 3D-printed plastic case. These sensors can measure temperature, humidity and light levels, as well as the levels of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia and nitric oxide in the air. The Air Quality Unit can be attached to a vehicle or drone to take measurements of the air as it travels. It’s lightweight and simple to secure using suction. It transmits information about air quality to the Air Quality Platform, where it can be viewed and analysed. We currently have a working prototype that can collect air quality data on the go. In fact, we’ve already made use of it; we brought it to Cornwall in July and equipped it to the van testing our ubiquitous communications technology. From the Cornwall trial, we identified some changes we’d like to make; for example, we’d like to experiment with different materials for the casing and streamline the design. Once we’ve made these changes, we’re planning to use the Air Quality Unit in our future autonomous shuttle trials. What is the Air Quality Platform? The ESA Air Quality Platform was originally created by ESA for educational purposes. ESA has provided schools across Europe with the tools they need to set up air monitoring stations, and the resulting air quality information is displayed in real time on an interactive map. Although the Air Quality Platform was created as an educational tool, Darwin took an interest in it, as it was sophisticated enough to aid in Darwin’s goal of helping commercial organisations track their emissions. We spoke to a senior ESA engineer about the possibilities of the platform, and ESA agreed to build an Air Quality Platform for Darwin’s use. Darwin supplied material to ESA, and ESA provided the hardware, casing and software. Once we had received the ‘off-the-shelf’ platform from ESA, we started working with ESA to modify it to our needs: adding new sensors, for example. Darwin’s modified version of the Air Quality Platform is currently hosted by AWS, rather than by ESA, although the unit also transmits information to ESA’s servers. For more information about Darwin and AWS, take a look at our article on the experience of working with AWS. With the Air Quality Platform, we can analyse information from the Air Quality Unit and draw conclusions. For example, the Air Quality Platform can map air quality levels in a particular area, or give an idea of the level of pollution produced by the vehicles reporting air quality information. By presenting this information in an understandable way, the Air Quality Platform makes it possible to identify areas where improvements can be made. How does the Air Quality Unit work? The Air Quality Unit takes and analyses measures of the air. The many sensors inside the unit work in various ways. For example, some of them are chemical sensors. A miniature plate may be heated to a high temperature: 200°C, for example. When ammonia (NH3) particles make contact with the heated plate, they break down into ammonia’s constituent elements: nitrogen and hydrogen. This creates a tiny electrical impulse, and the sensor counts these impulses to get an idea of the number of ammonia particles in the air. Some of the sensors, meanwhile, work on mechanical principles, such as the particle sensors. The unit is able to measure the number of particles of a certain size: particles of up to 10 microns, and particles of up to 2.5 microns. The smaller 2.5 micron particles are generally more dangerous because they’re too small to be filtered out by hairs inside the nose, so they can end up in the lungs and bloodstream more easily. To measure particles based on size, the Air Quality Unit uses a miniature chamber. A filter ensures that only particles below a certain size can enter the chamber, in which a tiny laser beam, projected from one wall, illuminates a plate on the other side. When a particle passes through, the particle casts a shadow on the plate. The sensor can count the number of these moving shadows detected in a given time period and, with that information, the Air Quality Platform can estimate how many of these particles are in the air. Electronics inside the Air Quantity Unit constantly receive information from the sensors and send it wirelessly to AWS, where it can be analysed on the Air Quality Platform. Darwin’s work combining terrestrial and satellite communications is useful here, as the Air Quality Unit needs to maintain a steady connection to AWS as it moves around. Why is measuring air quality important? Darwin’s goal is to make it possible to fit this air quality monitoring technology on the factory line, or to retrofit it into existing vehicles. If many vehicles were equipped with air quality monitoring technology, they would be able to create an image of what air quality is like across the country, and of how different vehicles can impact on it. With this information, governments could take action to improve air quality in the areas where improvement is most needed. For example: Creating low emission zones, or zero emission zones, in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution. Planting trees to absorb pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Providing more charging points and other incentives to use electric cars, rather than petrol or diesel cars, in areas with high emissions. (For more about the potential for electric cars to reduce emissions, take a look at our article on self-driving cars and the environment.) Organisations could also use this information in various ways. For example: Environmental agencies could create maps of pollutants – carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or dust particles, for example – and see how they change over time. Delivery or transport companies could make informed decisions about the greenest vehicles available to them. If a vehicle’s tyres are producing a lot of airborne particles as they wear down, the manufacturer could look at other models of tyre, or at technology designed to capture these particles. It’s important not to feel helpless in the face of large environmental issues like air pollution. It’s absolutely possible to make changes and improvements, and the Air Quality Platform is a step towards that. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

We were delighted to be invited to the Space2Connect Conference 2021! This was a hybrid event, attended by experts both online and in person, and skilfully organised by the European Space Agency (ESA). It ran from 11 to 14 October. The conference was a fascinating opportunity to explore and discuss the potential of space-based technology. If you’re interested, you can watch the panels over here. Space2Move: 5G/6G & the Integration of Satcom in Future Networks Daniela Petrovic, our delivery director, spoke on the Space2Move panel, so we’re going to look at that discussion in a bit more depth! The panel was an exploration of how satellite communications and terrestrial communications could be combined for greater reach and versatility. The panel was moderated by Aarti Holla-Maini, secretary general of ESOA, and the other panellists were Helmut Zaglauer of Airbus, Antonio Arcidiacono of the European Broadcasting Union, Francesco Rispoli of Ansaldo STS, Peter Stuckmann of the European Commission, and Stéphane Anjuère of Thales Alenia Space. It was an honour for Darwin to take a place alongside such an impressive array of experts. From 14 minutes into the video of the panel on the Space2Connect website (Session 4), you can hear Daniela talking about our Cornwall demonstration in July. The results were very positive; the quality of signal was good throughout the demonstration, and there was no loss of communication when switching between terrestrial and satellite networks. We’re hoping to have a full-length article in the near future, talking in more depth about how our ubiquitous communications technology performed in Cornwall. At the 41m50s mark, you can also listen to Daniela talking about how the combination of terrestrial and satellite networks can open up new markets, creating the potential for new products in the worlds of transportation, insurance and more. The entire panel is worth watching for anyone with an interest in the satellite industry; it touches on a lot of interesting ideas, including the applications of satellite communication in rail systems, potential innovations on the design of the satellite dish, and whether mobile phones will be able to communicate directly with satellites in the future. Space2Connect 2021 was a great success: a testament to the combined efforts of the organisers, moderators, guests and everyone else who had a hand in it. We’re grateful to ESA for organising the conference, and we’re looking forward to next year! Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

We talk a lot about autonomous vehicles at Darwin; they’re a fascinating subject, after all. In our posts about autonomy levels and autonomous convoys, though, we haven’t addressed one of the most interesting autonomy questions: how do autonomous vehicles work? This is a broad topic, so it makes sense to take it one step at a time. In today’s post, we’re going to talk about LiDAR sensors, and how self-driving cars use them to make sense of their surroundings. What is LiDAR? LiDAR stands for ‘Light Detection and Ranging’. You might notice its similarity to ‘radar’, an acronym so common it’s usually written lowercase, which stands for ‘Radio Detection and Ranging’. LiDAR and radar are similar; both systems send out electromagnetic waves and measure how long it takes those waves to be reflected back to a sensor. In doing so, they can determine how far away things are and build an image of their surroundings. Radar does this by sending out radio waves, whereas LiDAR does the same thing using light. Autonomous vehicle developers, such as Navya, often incorporate LiDAR sensors into their vehicles. How do autonomous vehicles see using LiDAR? If a vehicle is designed to operate without a human driver, it needs to be able to ‘see’. You can use satellite navigation to tell an autonomous vehicle where it is, where it needs to go and what route it needs to take in order to get there. This is valuable information, but it’s not enough by itself. With maps and satnav alone, a vehicle might know that there’s a building to the left, but it won’t know that a sheep has wandered into the road. Autonomous vehicles need to be able to monitor their surroundings in real time, because it’s not possible to inform them of every potential obstacle in advance. Light famously travels at phenomenal speed, which means that LiDAR sensors can pick up on changes in the environment almost instantly. This is valuable for autonomous vehicles, which need to detect and respond to obstacles straight away in order to operate safely. Navya’s autonomous shuttles use a large number of sensors to monitor their surroundings, including LiDAR sensors. Two LiDAR sensors, located above the vehicle’s front windscreen, can each detect obstacles in a 360° range. Six more LiDAR sensors, each able to detect obstacles in a 180° range, are distributed across the rest of the vehicle. These LiDAR sensors are accompanied by cameras, odometry sensors and a GNSS antenna for satellite navigation. All of these constantly feed information to the shuttle’s onboard computer, and the computer uses this information to make navigation decisions in real time. You can read more about Navya’s use of LiDAR on the Navya website. We’re currently trialling one of these autonomous shuttles at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, with the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency’s support. For more information, take a look at our Darwin Autonomous Shuttle page. What else is LiDAR used for? LiDAR sensors aren’t exclusively used for autonomous vehicles. They can also be found on roads in a very different context: they’re used in some speed cameras and handheld speed detection devices. A LiDAR speed detection device will send out a pulse of light to determine the position of a vehicle, then a second pulse to determine how far the vehicle has moved. By comparing the distance the vehicle has travelled against the time between the pulses, the device can determine how fast the vehicle is moving. There are also uses for LiDAR off the road. Some phone developers have started incorporating LiDAR sensors into the cameras of their products. The depth recognition of LiDAR makes it possible to improve camera focus and augmented reality apps. 3D scanning is another interesting thing that LiDAR is capable of. It’s possible to move around an object or environment with a LiDAR sensor, scanning it, and create a digital 3D model of that model or environment. This has strong possibilities for, for example, video games. In the 2018 blog post ‘Announcing Project Atlas’, EA’s chief technology officer Ken Moss writes about how LiDAR can be used on a game development platform: In one example, we are using high-quality LIDAR data about real mountain ranges, passing that data through a deep neural network trained to create terrain-building algorithms, and then creating an algorithm which will be available within the platform’s development toolbox. With this AI-assisted terrain generation, designers will within seconds generate not just a single mountain, but a series of mountains and all the surrounding environment with the realism of the real-world. Although many of LiDAR’s uses may seem futuristic, it can also help to give us a better understanding of the past. Archaeologists can use LiDAR from the air to gain a detailed view of a landscape, making it easier to spot signs of human impact. Light can’t penetrate the ground, but to some extent it can show what’s under vegetation; BBC Future has an article talking about how LiDAR gave new insight into a Mayan city hidden in the Belizean jungle. At Darwin, we’re mainly interested in LiDAR’s applications for autonomous vehicles, but it’s a fascinating and versatile tool. With all these uses, it might not be long before ‘LiDAR’ is as common a household term as ‘radar’ is now. Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.