On 30-31 January, AI4CCAM partners came together for the latest General Assembly meeting in Montpellier, hosted by project partner LIRMM (Laboratoire d’informatique, de robotique et de microélectronique de Montpellier).
This latest General Assembly comes at a crucial time for the project which just hit its second-year mark. Project partners got an update on all the different innovations within the project and what is to come in the final year.
A highlight was an impressive four demonstrations that have been developed within AI4CCAM by project partners. Participants were led to the robotics lab at LIRMM for the demos which featured different virtual reality experiences putting participants into a virtual world and interacting with vehicles. There were also video demonstrations of the work done in the project regarding the use of AI for autonomous vehicles.
Another highlight was the panel discussion on AI4CCAM Heritage which focused on the impact of the project and its future for CCAM. BSC, TERA and project coordinator Simula all took part in the discussion and a Q&A with partners on the future of AI4CCAM and how it fits into the area of AI in automated mobility.
Finally the meeting included a keynote lecture by the esteemed AI researcher Professor J.G. Ganascia who delivered his talk on “The braided structure of time in AI and information technologies” which also led to a lively Q&A with the audience.
Also part of the meeting was a series of interviews and videos filmed of our demos for a future project video. Stay tuned for more on this soon.
A special thanks to Professor Ganascia for joining AI4CCAM at this meeting and his talk, and to LIRMM for hosting this successful General Assembly!
In October 2024, AI4CCAM entered a cluster of EU-funded projects, formed to revolutionise road safety, automated mobility, and the interaction between drivers and vulnerable road users. Along with AI4CCAM, four more ambitious initiatives – HEIDI, EVENTS, PHOEBE, and SOTERIA – joined the cluster to develop cutting-edge solutions addressing the growing complexity of urban transport systems. Recently, also the FRODDO project joined the cluster.
The cluster is especially focused on “Road safety in complex urban environments”, to promote a safe, inclusive, and sustainable mobility system that is resilient, trustworthy, and road user-centric. Read more.
AI4CCAM and the whole cluster are happy to announce that a first webinar on Road Safety will be held on 25 February 2025, 14.00-15.00 (CET). The aim of this hour-long webinar is to give the audience an initial glimpse into the innovative solutions addressed by the cluster’s projects through short spotlight presentations. It will be followed by an expert discussion on current urban road safety challenges. The webinar will also provide opportunities for the audience to join the conversation:
Host: Andréia Lopes Azevedo, Polis Network
Speakers:
AI4CCAM project: Arnaud Gotlieb, Simula Research Lab.
EVENTS project: Bill Roungas – Project Manager, ICCS
HEIDI project: Paolo Pretto, Virtual Vehicle Research
PHOEBE project:James Bradford, iRAP Global Technical Director
SOTERIA project: Antonio D. Masegosa, University of Deusto
Save the date and register here!
Mathias KAUTZ, Badis HAMMI, Joaquin GARCIA-ALFARO published within AI4CCAM the paper on “Platelet: pioneering security and privacy compliant simulation for intelligent transportation systems and V2X”.
The development and testing of new applications in Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) environments, which rely on Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, is frequently supported through simulations. Nevertheless, most of existing simulators are either outdated or do not consider the latest adopted standards. Especially, the security and privacy mechanisms of vehicles and V2X communications. Which leads to incorrect and biased assessments in numerous privacy-aware applications such as Intrusion detection. In this context, Platelet is introduced, which stands as the first V2X simulator compliant with security and privacy standards.
A new United Nations Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS) adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) in March 2024, entered into force at the end of September 2024. The regulation ensures improved safety and performance for driver assistance systems.
The Regulation describes DCAS as systems that assist the driver in controlling the longitudinal and lateral motion of the vehicle on a sustained basis while not taking over the entire driving task. DCAS are categorised as Automated Driving Systems corresponding to SAE Level 2. This means that while using such systems, the driver retains responsibility for the control of the vehicle and must, therefore, permanently monitor the surroundings as well as the vehicle/system’s performance to be able to intervene if needed.
The Regulation specifies DCAS’ safety and performance requirements. Effective warning strategies are mandated if a lack of driver engagement is detected to ensure that drivers remain available and engaged.
The regulation also requires vehicle manufacturers to proactively communicate to users via all available means, including online, in advertising, and at dealerships when purchasing a vehicle, about the limitations of DCAS and drivers’ responsibility when using the systems, in order to address drivers’ potential overreliance on some assistance systems
The adoption of the Regulation enhances safety, unlocks innovation to develop next-generation assistance technologies, and helps to harmonise standards that support European manufacturers in reaching global markets efficiently.
Read the UNECE press release.
Source: CAD.eu
The AI4CCAM (Trustworthy AI for CCAM) project has reached its two-year mark. From immersive virtual reality demonstrations to a pioneering Trustworthy AI Documentation Framework, the project continues to shape the future of connected and automated vehicles.
Involving 14 partners, the €6 million project, funded under the EU’s Research and Innovation Programme Horizon Europe, AI4CCAM will provide automated driving scenarios involving ethical, social and cultural choices, digging into advanced AI models for predicting vulnerable road users’ behavior and user acceptance of self-driving vehicles.
What is AI4CCAM working on?
- Driving innovation through virtual reality
- Pioneering trustworthy AI
- Spreading the word of AI and automated mobility
“As we celebrate the two-year milestone of our AI4CCAM research and innovation project, I am thrilled to acknowledge the remarkable achievements and progress made by our consortium. One of the highlights is a virtual reality-based demonstration of AD user acceptance, built on meticulously modelled scenarios with ethical issues and utilizing cutting-edge trustworthy AI/ML models developed within the project. Additionally, the upcoming launch of the AI4CCAM participatory space, complete with comprehensive content on user acceptance, cybersecurity, and ethical guidelines, fills me with immense pride. These accomplishments showcase our collective efforts and the professionalism of all AI4CCAM participants. Thank you to everyone involved in AI4CCAM for the continued hard work and commitment.“, says Arnaud Gotlieb, Coordinator of the AI4CCAM project.
As AI4CCAM enters its final year, the consortium is poised to deliver groundbreaking advancements. Follow our journey for more updates in the months ahead.
Arnaud Gotlieb, Simula Research Laboratory, AI4CCAM coordinator, had the chance to present the project during the recent UITP Working Group on Artificial Intelligence, held online on 11 December.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing its importance in every sector, including public transport. The use of AI applications in public transport could be one of the critical solutions that efficiently unlocks the value of data to improve the quality and efficiency of the public transport sector.
UITP, AI4CCAM partner, wants to raise awareness, demystify the technology and outline the current landscape of AI applications in public transport. This is the aim of the Working Group.
Arnaud underlined the importance of AI in automated vehicles: a formidable opportunity to increase passenger and road user safety, improve traffic, efficiency, reduce pollution, improve passenger comfort. However, possible threats must be taken into account too. This is what AI4CCAM works on thanks to 9 simulated scenarios including ethical issues and indicators.
Arnaud also announced the launch of the AI4CCAM Participatory Space, early 2025, to build a community of CCAM stakeholders.
AI4CCAM organised a successful workshop on cybersecurity, on December 4th in Rome, Italy, with more than 30 participants as a part of the UITP Cybersecurity committee meeting. Representatives of UITP Working Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) were invited too.
The main goal of the workshop was to develop skills in responding to cybersecurity incidents in autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
The workshop started with discussions on AI applications for the public transport sector, focusing on the evolution of vehicles and the current Cooperative Connected Automated Mobility (CCAM) and ITS ecosystems. The security risks introduced by these emerging technologies were discussed too.
After that, Badis Hammi, Telecom SudParis, presented AI4CCAM and introduced the issue of cybersecurity in building Trustworthy AI for Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility.
The workshop discussions were focused on incident response simulation where participants were split into groups to analyse the cybersecurity incidents in autonomous vehicles/intelligent transport systems and develop appropriate responses to such issues.
Participants were divided into four groups (one of which was online), with approximately 50 participants in total. Each group worked on a specific attack scenario:
- Traffic signal manipulation
- GPS spoofing attack
- Fleet-wide command injection
Participants had 45 minutes to prepare their work, divided into three key phases:
- Incident analysis
- Response planning
- Recovery and communication.
Then, up to to 15 minutes were left to present the findings.
During the concluding session, participants identified several crucial actions for incident response:
- To identify and isolate affected systems (e.g., CCAMs, traffic signals) and deploy containment measures
- To ensure the availability of backup systems and activate them as needed
- To alert relevant stakeholders promptly to coordinate an effective response.
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH as part of the stakeholder engagement activities of the FAME project organised, on 18 November, a Live Talk on how data and AI are transforming the CCAM ecosystem.
Moderated by Oihana Otaegui Madurga (Director of Transport & Security Division, Vicomtech), the session bridged the gap between application-driven solutions and the more transversal, generic and research-oriented AI advancements.
Among the panellists, Margriet van Schijndel, Program Director Responsible Mobility, TU Eindhoven, CCAM Partnership, and member of the AI4CCAM Ethical and Scientific Advisory Board who also mentioned AI4CCAM when dealing with different perspectives on AI and data in CCAM, from transversal AI developments that promise broad, cross-sector impact to tailored, application-driven solutions addressing specific mobility needs.
Bernhard Peischl (Innovation Manager, AVL List GmbH) was a further panellists.
A groundbreaking cluster of EU-funded projects has been formed to revolutionise road safety, automated mobility, and the interaction between drivers and vulnerable road users (VRUs). This collaborative effort brings together five ambitious initiatives – AI4CCAM, HEIDI, EVENTS, PHOEBE, and SOTERIA – to develop cutting-edge solutions addressing the growing complexity of urban transport systems, forming a cluster on “Road safety in complex urban environments”.
The cluster aims to promote a safe, inclusive, and sustainable mobility system that is resilient, trustworthy, and road user-centric. By uniting efforts across these projects, this initiative is set to transform European transport research and establish new standards for road safety and automated driving.
Cluster Overview
At the heart of the cluster’s mission is a shared vision for establishing the “safe system” approach. This shifts the focus from placing responsibility solely on road users to a holistic strategy where every stakeholder—from infrastructure designers to transport operators—plays a role in creating safer environments. The projects will work together to ensure that automated mobility technology is not only efficient but also transparent, inclusive, and adaptable to real-world road conditions.
The five projects are exploring how advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), simulation environments, predictive analytics, and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) can enhance urban road safety for all road users, particularly vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, and individuals with reduced mobility.
Projects Highlights
AI4CCAM leverages the potential of AI to create trustworthy and ethical models for predicting the behavior of vulnerable road users in urban environments. Its focus on user acceptance of automated vehicles and ethical dilemmas ensures the development of AI systems that people can trust.
EVENTS seeks to overcome the limitations of current Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) by developing a robust and resilient perception and decision-making system that can manage unexpected “events” like adverse weather/light conditions, unstructured road environment, imperfect data, sensor/communication failures, etc., ensuring continuous safe operation in dynamic environments.
HEIDI is breaking new ground by designing a cooperative HMI that connects drivers and pedestrians in dangerous situations. With internal and external HMIs, HEIDI adapts in real time to the behaviors and needs of drivers and VRUs.
PHOEBE aims to support urban transport planning with an evidence-based framework for predictive road safety. This project offers a blueprint for cities to manage safety risks effectively, integrating human behavior modeling and transport system simulations to prevent accidents.
SOTERIA focuses on creating a data-driven safety intelligence framework that integrates electric micro-mobility services in urban environments. It emphasises inclusivity by fostering a co-creation process with local communities and vulnerable road users.
Collective Strengths
The cluster of projects is founded on several shared strengths:
Human-Centric and Inclusive: Prioritising the needs of all road users, including vulnerable populations such as children, elderly, and those with reduced mobility.
Ethical and Trustworthy AI: Developing AI models and decision-making systems that are transparent, reliable, and capable of handling complex ethical issues.
Advanced Simulation Technologies: Leveraging co-simulation environments, hybrid testing, and machine learning to safely evaluate and validate new technologies.
Scalability and Resilience: Ensuring that solutions are adaptable across various transport modes, from micro-mobility services to automated vehicles, and capable of handling unexpected events and system failures.
Impact and Future Directions
By integrating innovative technologies and road user-centered approaches, this EU-funded cluster of projects aims to deliver substantial advancements in road safety and automated mobility. The initiative will not only contribute to the development of safer transportation systems but also foster public trust and acceptance of emerging mobility solutions.
In particular, the exchange of knowledge and practices between projects regarding AI and simulation technologies could further amplify their positive impact, fostering innovation and improving outcomes across the board. Through close collaboration, these projects will offer new methodologies, standards, and tools to help urban planners, policymakers, and transport operators create safer and more efficient mobility networks across Europe.
