Brisbane train stations help provide robotic information to Sydney study

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Brisbane train stations help provide robotic information to Sydney commuter study

The University Technology of Sydney (UTS) is using robotic sensors in Central and Roma Street stations in the Brisbane CBD to count commuters as 'grey blobs'.

Daily commuters have noticed the new black boxes mounted on pillars throughout high-traffic stations this week.

The research is being used for a study that aims to give daily commuters more information ahead of time about crowded carriages and platforms.

UTS transport planner Michelle Zeibots told 612 ABC Brisbane that the study is happening in Queensland due to the encouragement of transport provider Queensland Rail.

"I was speaking to a colleague in Queensland Rail and told him about the study and he invited us to come and tell them more here in Brisbane," she said.

"We are working in partnership with Downer Rail and both were happy to support the development of new technologies and put the sensors in place here."

The robotic sensors look similar to security cameras, but cannot identify people's faces.

"Inside the box there is a robotic sensor that looks at people and trains on the platform," said Ms Zeibots.

"It then sensors [sic] them and creates something called a 'machine vision' which is an image of the station, but we would not recognise the image as human beings.

"It sees people as grey blobs which enables us to count people at the platform."

The future of train commuting

The information gathered from Brisbane train stations will help develop new passenger information systems, through the use of smartphones.

"With most people having a smartphone, it means we can take on more information than before; it allows us to give people travelling on rail more information," Ms Zeibots explained.

"For example if we can count the number of people on the trains then we can give them information about how crowded an incoming train could be.

"This then enables commuters the opportunity to make a decision if they want to wait for the next train."

Ms Zeibots said a smartphone application could be made available in the next three years.

"We are adapting these robotic technologies that have been used in other applications, but are yet to be used in public transport environments before," she said.

"The aim with these sensor networks is to find the best points on a platform or on a train to locate them so you can minimise the number of sensors you use.

"That makes the system more efficient and effective and there is a lot more testing that has to go on there."

[BrizCommuter]

"The research is being used for a study that aims to give daily commuters more information ahead of time about crowded carriages and platforms."

If they want to see crowded carriages, maybe they should just install them on the 07:25am from Ferny Grove?

[ozbob]

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Jeff Addison @Jeffrey_Addison  ·  Feb 11

Those @QueenslandRail temporary mounted twin camera units are gone today... wonder what they were for?