25 Nov 2024

Oxford Robotics Institute joins road safety event in central Oxford

Robotics researchers demonstrated the RobotCycle technology at the ‘Vision Zero’ event on 4 November which aimed to help cyclists make safer journeys

Researchers from the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) joined road safety experts in Oxford earlier this month to demonstrate the benefits of their ‘RobotCycle’ project.

RobotCycle is an ORI project led by Departmental Lecturer Daniele De Martini and Professor Lars Kunze (Bristol Robotics Laboratory, UWE Bristol & Visiting Fellow at ORI). Efimia Panagiotaki, DPhil student in ORI, is the research lead and worked on the inception of the project and development of the backpack. The project team also includes ORI's trials manager Daniel Marques, ORI engineers, and several DPhil and MSc students including Ben Hardin and Samuel Sze, who participated in the Vision Zero event.

Members of the ORI team demonstrated the RobotCycle technology to Oxford residents, students and staff at the event on Broad Street in Oxford, to show how it can make our streets safer for cyclists and other road users.

RobotCycle aims to gain insights into how cycling infrastructure affects cyclists' behaviour and safety during their journeys. By collecting real-world traffic data from cyclists and other road users, the project team can analyse and assess the road network in terms of safety for cyclists and identify areas of high risk.

Data collected includes the presence of a dedicated cycling lane, closeness and speed of vehicles, and road conditions. Outcomes from the project could help inform the decision-making of different stakeholders including cyclists, other road users, city planners, and/or policymakers.

The RobotCycle team were joined at the Vision Zero event by road safety experts from Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS), the University of Oxford and Thames Valley Police. Vision Zero is a road safety initiative started by Oxfordshire County Council to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries. It has a simple premise that ‘no human being should be killed or seriously injured as the result of a road collision, whatever mode of transport they are using.’  