News

The SAFER project Drone Lightning systems, which was recently funded through SAFER's pre-study program, has now developed into a next project; Skara guardian angel. The project will develop and test drone-based solutions for lighting infrastructure in Skara municipality. Through the project, the researchers and the municipality hope to get more people to choose the bike even during the winter time. The University of Skövde leads the work with user studies. 

During the winter it is very dark in Sweden. Although there are many good cycle paths, lightning infrastructure can be a problem. Installation and maintenance of lighting systems is expensive and it is not always possible to have good lighting conditions on all cycle paths, especially outside urban areas.

Lighting on demand with drones
The darkness means that many people choose to not travel by bike during the winter, even though they actually prefer to cycle as much as possible. This in turn means that the positive health effects and climate-neutral travel are absent. This is what the project Skara guardian angel will change. Instead of investing in permanent lighting poles, drones may offer a more flexible solution.

In the project, which is coordinated by RISE and carried out in collaboration with the University of Skövde, University of Jönköping and Skara Municipality, the researchers aim to overcome the challenges that darkness entails. With the support of increased digitization and automation, the team will develop drone-based infrastructure services on-demand to improve safety, comfort and increase the willingness to take the bike even when it is dark in the countryside. The project will carry out user-studies and test the drone-based lightning system solutions together with residents of Skara at two cycle paths in the municipality.

Citizen dialogue and user studies in focus
By starting from the cyclists' needs, the project will explore design solutions that are accepted by those who will use the service and are possible to implement in practice. In addition to lighting, the system may also include services such as collision warnings and remote assistance. Experiments will be designed from the perspective that everyone should be able to use it to create accessible and inclusive infrastructure. Citizen dialogue and user studies will therefore be a significant part of the project.

The project will be concluded in the autumn of 2023 and is funded by Vinnova to support behavioral change towards active, climate-neutral and healthy mobility. The project will be hosted by SAFER's research area for Road user behavior.