The hope is that the project will achieve a drastic reduction in the time and cost of identifying and fixing issues.
Australia’s government has supported the project with AU$1.18m (£0.62m) in federal funding with the aim of demonstrating how 5G and the ‘internet of things’ can support smart cities around Australia.
A research collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology and Brimbank City Council found that an interconnected network of garbage trucks could be the new frontline in repairing local roads. The project will see high-resolution cameras and GPS sensors attached to Brimbank’s waste trucks. The data captured from the connected devices will be sent in real-time to a cloud-based system to create a map of assets that require maintenance, such as road signs, bus shelters or damaged roads.
The technology is intended to remove the need for costly manual reporting and auditing, and saving up to 50 per cent of asset auditing costs.
Associate Professor Prem Prakash Jayaraman, who is director of Swinburne’s Factory of the Future and Digital Innovation Lab, said: “Swinburne is bringing together researchers, government and industry to co-create safe, resilient solutions for smart and sustainable cities. Together, we are enhancing access to services, places and economic opportunities, and improving quality of life. We are delighted to be working with the forward-thinking Brimbank Council, and utilising Swinburne’s leading capabilities and world-renowned expertise in Internet of Things and digital innovation to demonstrate a solution that can be used in cities across Australia and around the world.”
Mayor of Brimbank Jasmine Nguyen welcomed the partnership. “Residents have told us via the Community Survey that improving the appearance of Brimbank’s roads, road signs, bus stop shelters and roadside spaces is a high priority,” she said. “This innovative 5G-based project offers us a quicker and more efficient way to identify which assets need maintenance, and to get the information to the work crews.
“Simply put, this project will help council respond faster to assets that need maintenance. Council is pleased to be working with Swinburne University and Optus on this ground-breaking project. Our project will also lead the way for other councils considering 5G based solutions for road and roadside asset condition monitoring.”
The stereo vision and depth cameras attached to the garbage trucks will collect 3D perception data at a rate of 900 megabits per second. For comparison, average mobile download speeds in Australia in 2020 were around 43 megabits per second.
The garbage trucks travel across every street in the council area each week and need to transmit the data in real-time while moving at varying speeds. This is seen as making the environment perfect for testing the capabilities of the super-fast 5G network, while also helping maintenance teams work more effectively.
As part of the project, maintenance teams will be able to get information directly on their phones and upload proof of maintenance performed on the spot.
More than 900km of road are under maintenance in Brimbank alone, with an estimated AU$15m to AU$20m spent every year on maintaining and improving the roads and roadside assets. It is hoped that the project will not only improve the lives and safety of local residents, but also help councils around Australia save millions.
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