T.net unveils Smart Road 4.0 system for connected vehicles management

T.net, a startup of EIT Digital portfolio, has recently unveiled Smart Road 4.0, an innovative system capable of significantly improving mobility and road safety in a ‘smart road’ - an area in which connected vehicles send and receive information via a network of intelligent sensors.

The system was developed and tested by T.net in collaboration with the National Interuniversity Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT) and the University of Catania, as part of the futuristic project “Taormina City Tech”, the first prototype of a digital tourist city, in Italy.

With Smart Road 4.0, it is possible to connect IoT devices much more efficiently than using traditional infrastructures. T.net’s system does not rely on GPS for geolocation; rather, it uses LoRa technology, perfected by T.net for wider range of action (up to 10 km in rural areas and 5-6 km in urban areas), more accurate geolocation (from the current 200mt up to 5mt.) and reduced battery consumption. All data sent to, and from the connected vehicles, is protected by end-to-end encryption.

Vehicles can connect to weather and traffic detection systems to receive real-time information on road conditions, traffic, or emergencies, making it possible to smoothly deviate traffic flows in the event of accidents, suggest alternative routes or manage parking access, making it simpler for travelers to move around the city.

Developed and tested by T.net, with a €1M total investment, Smart Road 4.0 was presented last week at the International Conference on Electrical, Computer, Communications and Mechatronics Engineering (ICECCME), held in Mauritius.

"Our innovation is already generating great interest; it is no coincidence that they asked us to come and present it in an international conference such as ICECCME. The support of CNIT, the University of Catania, and the city of Taormina, was instrumental in achieving this result," said Francesco Mazzola, CEO of T.net.

Based in Milan, T.net is an innovative SME specialized in IoT sensors and digital transformation, and part of EIT Digital Equity Portfolio.

The company joined the EIT Digital Accelerator in 2018 and later continued its journey with EIT Digital, becoming a partner in 2021.