Susono City, a small industrial city near Mount Fuji with around 50,000 residents, faces unique safety and terrain challenges such as icy roads in winter, aging drivers, schoolchildren walking along complex routes, and limited monitoring staff. So when asked in 2022 to test smart streetlights that influence driver behavior, city officials said yes.
These aren’t your average lamps. Smart streetlights come equipped with sensors, edge AI cameras, 5G connectivity, environmental sensors for things like temperature and humidity, and LED projectors that can display alerts directly onto the road surface, reports 3D Solutions Blog.
The project began with identifying high-risk locations. One key test site was outside an elementary school where children walk daily. City leaders, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, NTT Docomo Business, Stanley Electric, Kaga FEI, and Dassault Systèmes collaborated to bring the concept to life.
Using CATIA and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the team modeled existing poles and created a virtual twin of the school zone. This let them simulate traffic, speeding incidents, and visualize data to build and present the smart streetlight deployment clearly.
During the 2023 demonstration, AI-powered alerts were projected onto the pavement, immediately warning drivers. The local 5G network handled real-time video with low latency, connecting streetlights seamlessly.
Challenges Smart Streetlights Solve
- Icy road hazards: They detect slick conditions and project warnings such as “Caution: Ice,” helping prevent accidents.
- Low visibility and aging drivers: With real-time detection and alerts, smart streetlights compensate where human monitoring is limited.
- Safety around schools: Projected alerts and monitoring in key areas reduce risk for children walking to school.
- Resource limitations: With AI and remote monitoring, cities can improve traffic safety without deploying more personnel.
- Data-driven planning: Virtual twins and real-time data mean more informed decisions, not guesswork, about where safety measures are needed most.
By combining AI, IoT, and sustainable lighting, Susono’s project shows how smart streetlights can tackle safety, efficiency, and environmental challenges at once, making them a cornerstone for future smart cities.