Tech-savvy Coimbatore students help police untie traffic tangles, earn commissioner’s kudos

COIMBATORE: City police commissioner V Balakrishnan on Thursday lauded four teams of students from city colleges for submitting ideas for traffic management.
The students had submitted the ideas at Safetython, a road safety hackathon held at Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) at Saravanampatti, a few days ago. The event was organised by the Coimbatore city police, NGO Uyir and KCT.
Students from Anna University’s regional campus, who submitted a paper on ‘Smart traffic light control and regulatory system using artificial intelligence’ won the first prize. They suggested an intelligent camera network to do away with traffic police. The system will assess the number of vehicles and control the traffic signals to ensure smooth traffic flow.
A team from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) submitted blueprints for an app, which will clear the way for ambulances to reach hospitals as soon as possible. The AI-powered app, installed in phones of emergency personnel in ambulances, will make the traffic signal system flick the signals to create a green channel. Another team from CIT submitted ideas to prevent drunk driving.
A group of students from Hindusthan Institute of Technology in Coimbatore submitted plans to set up a roundabout at the busy Malumichampatti Junction to solve traffic snarls.
“We are planning to test their ideas for effective traffic management and help them participate in national-level events,” Balakrishnan said.