i3 - July/August 2019 - 31

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Typically, regulations for streets and
curbs are communicated via old-fashioned (analog) signage, which can be
difficult for an autonomous vehicle to
read and understand on the fly. But
COORD looks to fix this by creating "a
digital curb" with information about
roughly 30 items that govern curb
usage (including signs, fire hydrants,
bus stops, bike racks, and curb cuts,
ramps and paints) saved to
a unique data format that
can be stored in the vehicle's
memory. The resultant data
file also integrates a city's
"...an autonomous
municipal regulations.
vehicle essentially
"Today, a human driver
must follow the rules,
makes that judgment.
it won't have the luxury
Sometimes they follow the
of interpretation that
rules, sometimes they
a human driver
don't," says Stephen Smyth,
perhaps has."
COORD co-founder and
CEO. "But going forward,
Indeed, the idea of autonomous-only zones is
- Stephen Smyth
COORD co-founder and CEO
as an autonomous vehicle
flawed, says Sharon Di, assistant professor in the
essentially must follow the
department of civil engineering and mechanics at
rules, it won't have the luxColumbia University, and a committee member of
ury of interpretation that a
the Center for Smart Cities at Columbia's Data
human driver perhaps has,"
Science Institute. The problem is that on the way
he adds. So COORD wants the vehicle to
to or from these zones a self-driving vehicle must cross paths
"make a better decision, faster," he says.
with humans - either drivers or pedestrians - and may react
COORD has created digital curbs for
in ways that can make traffic worse.
portions of five U.S. cities: New York, Los
This is where smart city technology can help, Di explains,
Angeles, Seattle, San Diego and San
pointing to solutions such as V2X (vehicle-to-vehicle and
Francisco. The goal is to have support in
vehicle-to-infrastructure) communications based on 5G celall major cities across the U.S. and Canada
lular connectivity. She points to COSMOS, a National Science
by the end of this year, Smyth says.
Foundation-funded project led by Columbia, NYU and
Although it's unique, COORD's file forRutgers University that is testing 5G-based smart city techmat has also been shared openly, because
nologies in West Harlem. Among those are applications to
the company's philosophy is that curb asset
reduce the number of crashes which injure and kill vehicle
data should be public. "We don't just see it
occupants and pedestrians.
as a parking space. We want it to be seen as
"Also, we are now doing research about what new features
a fully dynamic, digital thing," he says.
can be enabled by 5G in autonomous driving," Di says. One
"Everybody focuses naturally on an
example is a camera-based traffic management system that
autonomous vehicle in motion, and
transmits instructions to a self-driving car regarding moving
undoubtedly that is the big challenge,"
objects at an intersection - people, bicyclists and other vehiSmyth said. "But it would appear that the
cles - and how to operate more safely among them. The
challenge is increasingly getting solved.
underlying data analysis is completed by the system's camera
The next challenge is how do these vehiin a scheme known as edge computing, which is technically
cles interface with the traditional physical
more efficient than having the car itself do the analysis upon
world beyond traffic lights and making
approaching the intersection, she says.
the turns safely and so forth.
Similarly, a New York City-based startup named COORD has
"The curb space is that next frontier
developed a way to tell an autonomous car the best place to
for the integration of autonomous vehitarget curbside for picking up and dropping off passengers,
cles into cities," he says.
making deliveries, or merely parking and staying.
C TA . t e c h / i 3

JULY/AUGUST 2019

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i3 - July/August 2019

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