Vectolabs Technologies Sdn Bhd (Vectolabs), a Malaysian Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider today announced that it has secured a contract with PETRONAS Digital Sdn Bhd (PDSB) to provide a solution that enforces safety precautions to PETRONAS fleets of heavy vehicles.
The Edge AI Transport Safety System is co-developed with PDSB and enables real-time enforcement of PETRONAS safety management policy with the first deployment ongoing for 150 heavy vehicles until the end of 2021. The AI models are developed and optimised by data scientists of PDSB and Vectolabs is the chosen hardware partner for the solution. The solution was sparked by the need to address safety issues related to heavy vehicles while sharing the roads and highways with the public and to adhere to the PETRONAS Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) policy. Traditional method of sampling video footage is no longer viable or scalable when an organisation has to manage a fleet of vehicles that travels long distances and long hours with safety being paramount.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds the promise of dramatically increasing productivity, efficiency, and safety in several sectors, including transport, and these changes are not in some distant future; they are happening now. AI is changing the transport sector and is helping to make all transport modes safer, cleaner, smarter and more comfortable for other road users as well.
As drivers’ behaviour is the main contributing factor in accidents, the AI technology provides a proactive approach by correcting unsafe behaviours immediately as compared to traditional methods of sampling video footage to train and correct drivers after a trip is completed. Heavy vehicles have a higher risk of traffic injury because they are driven long distances that lead to driver fatigue. The AI system catches safety violations such as drowsiness, use of mobile phones, not checking mirrors, distracted driving (eating, drinking, or smoking), and not wearing seat belts. The AI system only detects violations and provides privacy for the drivers when they are not driving. The system also detects violations using telematics data via the vehicle’s Controller Area Network (CANBUS).
“The system catches speed violations using telematics data which is highly accurate as compared to a GPS system that may not be able to contribute towards a wholesome detection at the time when there are no signals when the vehicles go under a bridge, overpass or tunnels, for example.
“Once the AI models catch any safety violations, the drivers are immediately alerted audibly and a report is sent to the HQ for further action towards the drivers, taking a proactive approach rather than the current reactive approach.
The development of this system is illustrative of PETRONAS digitalisation effort merging with their HSE culture which permeates in everything they do. PDSB is leveraging AI technologies to enforce safety management policies proactively by detecting near-misses and correcting unsafe behaviour in real-time to make the road safer for everyone.” said Faizal Ali, CEO and Founder of Vectolabs.
Vectolabs client list include PETRONAS, Bateriku.com, Alam Flora and TMOne. They also recently was successful in setting up the IoT Infrastructure for the first application of smart street lighting in Presint 15, together with Perbadanan Putrajaya. The initiative was the first municipal operated IoT infrastructure in Malaysia using LoRa technology in Putrajaya to boost initiatives under the Putrajaya Smart City Blueprint.
With their successes and as an Intel partner, the Cyberjaya based startup was invited recently to be featured at the Intel Innovation Event as an exhibitor that took place virtually on October 27 to 28. Intel Innovation is the digital event delivering training and education on technologies and development tools taught by experts across the industry to a global, developer-focused, audience. More information on the event here: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/events/on-event-series.html
