FLIR Introduces TrafiBot AI Camera to Enhance Interurban Traffic Flow and Road Safety

FLIR, a Teledyne Technologies company, today introduced the TrafiBot AI 4K visible camera system for interurban traffic intelligence. This closed-circuit traffic camera offers the most robust artificial intelligence (AI) for the highest detection performance and most reliable traffic data collection along interurban roadways from highways to tunnels without sacrificing imaging resolution or data loss due to bandwidth issues.

Trafibot AI utilizes two FLIR proprietary AI models developed from millions of FLIR-captured images collected worldwide during the past 30 years. One model identifies and classifies fallen objects, while the other classifies vehicles, including unusual objects such as e-scooters, car-hauler trucks, and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists.

Combined with the FLIR patented 3D world tracker, TrafiBot AI features a greater capacity to detect incidents within a scene. As vehicles enter its field of view, the camera anticipates vehicle speed and trajectory, even if tracked objects become occluded or obscured by other vehicles, objects, or road infrastructure. TrafiBot AI can also detect sudden lane changes, tailgating, or wrong-way drivers, providing critical data to traffic managers to better manage safety incidents while reducing false alarms.

“Intelligent traffic management systems have made great strides during the past decade, and today traffic management teams require more immediate, accurate traffic data to alert first responders, save lives, and get vehicles moving again,” said Stefaan Pinck, vice president, business development, FLIR. “Trafibot AI provides that capability through a combination of proprietary AI models, 3D world tracker, and an innovative three-axis rotational design that provides greater installation flexibility for mounting on unique roadway infrastructure, including the sloped walls of tunnels and within tight spaces.”

“FLIR has gone in the right direction by integrating its own traffic intelligence experience dating back more than 30 years within its AI algorithm, an experience that is unmatched by anyone else in the industry,” said Gil Marques, President of Tacel Ltd., one of Canada’s leading suppliers of advanced traffic management systems and traffic control devices. “Competitors must rely on off-the-shelf datasets and new datasets to build their respective AI algorithms, which is not as powerful as the approach FLIR is using.”

All Weather Housing and Flexible Installation

The three-axis camera swivel pans, tilts, and rolls sideways, eliminating the need for custom adapter plates that take time to install. The tilt sensor inside also calibrates automatically, further reducing installation time and any ensuing traffic disruption.

Trafibot AI is housed within an IP 66/67-rated, non-corrosive, stainless-steel casing built to withstand all types of weather, including salt air and humidity, along with high-pressure water blasts from road-and-tunnel cleaning operations. The 4K camera also features an optical zoom of six to 22 millimeters with a detection range of up to 300 meters, providing greater coverage per camera compared to predecessor FLIR intelligent traffic cameras for improved decision support.

Software Integration

The camera is designed to integrate with FLIR Cascade, a newly launched software product that can collect and organize data from Trafibot AI. It provides a state-of-the-art intelligent incident filtering system to ensure only the relevant incidents are shown to the traffic operator. If an incident is detected, a short, 4K-resolution video clip of the scene is flagged for the traffic management team for immediate review. Trafibot AI can further integrate with video management systems to provide live footage.