| Feature | Legacy Camera | AI-powered Camera 1 | Lidar | AI-powered Camera and Lidar Fusion |
| Challenging lighting (low light, glare) | Low | Medium | High | High |
| Adverse weather conditions (snow, rain, fog) | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Localization | Low | Medium | High | High |
| Classification | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Affordability | High | Medium | Low2 | Low2 |
1. Assumes presence of IR or good low-light sensor
2. Expected to improve with time
The use of a cost-effective and performing AI-powered camera today, combined with the great potential of LiDAR in the coming years could help communities and municipalities achieve a win-win scenario today and tomorrow.
At the end of the day, the goal is clear in improving overall traffic flow and diminishing vehicle crashes and fatalities, but the technology and implementation strategy has to be right in doing so. The technology monitoring our roads needs to change too, thus calling for the consideration of AI-powered cameras today with the promise of LiDAR tomorrow.
About the Author: Dr. Georges Aoude is the co-founder of Derq, an MIT spinoff powering the future of connected and autonomous roads, making cities smarter and safer for all road users, and enabling the deployment of autonomous vehicles at scale. Derq provides cities and fleets with an award-winning and patented smart infrastructure Platform powered by AI that helps them tackle the most challenging road safety and traffic management problems.
