SK Telecom and Seoul National University Joint R&D in Vehicle Communication and Image Recognition
Application of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication (V2X) and Image Recognition Technology, Verification of Improved Safety

SK Telecom has developed and unveiled autonomous driving technology that applies Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication (V2X) to 'SNUver,' an autonomous vehicle currently being researched by Seoul National University, marking the first time a telecommunications company has done so.

SK Telecom and the Seoul National University Intelligent Automotive IT Research Center (IVIT Center, Director Professor Seung-Woo Seo) announced that they have jointly developed a technology to extend the detection range of autonomous vehicles through vehicle communication and image recognition, and demonstrated it on the Seoul National University campus.

On this day, SK Telecom and Seoul National University installed and configured six traffic lights and sudden pedestrian crossing situations along a 5 km section of the Seoul National University Gwanak Campus, and verified vehicle communication technology (V2X) for transmitting road traffic information and video-based traffic light recognition technology.

SK Telecom upgraded the autonomous driving capabilities of 'Snuver' by installing a dedicated vehicle communication network within the Seoul National University campus to implement V2X and transmitting traffic light control signals and video information captured by CCTVs to the vehicle based on this network.

The dedicated vehicle communication network utilized by SK Telecom this time uses the 5GHz band and is a type of short-range communication network technology similar to that applied to Hi-Pass, in which traffic information is received through the network when a vehicle approaches.

SK Telecom also developed image recognition technology based on deep learning that learns video information, such as traffic lights, secured through cameras mounted on vehicles, and installed it in 'Snuver'.High efficiency was checked.

While 'Snuver' previously showcased autonomous driving based on maps and object recognition technology (LiDAR) for vehicles and pedestrians, this time it is evaluated as having further enhanced driving stability by utilizing ICT infrastructure, such as communications and video, to identify the movements of traffic lights and pedestrians.

Safe driving demonstration on a 5km section of the Seoul National University campus involving 6 traffic lights and sudden pedestrian situations

In addition, Seoul National University developed and demonstrated a detection area expansion technology that enables autonomous vehicles to recognize blind spots by utilizing CCTV cameras fixed on the roadside, and experimented with a technology that generates an expanded local map using vehicle location information outside the detection area received via V2X communication.

Vehicle communication technology is expected to accelerate further, with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning recently announcing plans to allocate new frequencies dedicated to vehicle communication. Additionally, the development of vehicle communication and image recognition technologies aimed at enhancing passenger safety and cognitive abilities is also expected to gain momentum.

Professor Seo Seung-woo of Seoul National University emphasized the importance of the convergence of autonomous driving and vehicle communication technologies, stating, “This research and demonstration is an example showing the importance of future cooperation with communication infrastructure to enhance the perception capabilities of autonomous vehicles.”

Choi Jin-sung, Head of SK Telecom’s R&D Center, stated, “Through this research, SK Telecom has developed the elemental technologies necessary for the gradual introduction of autonomous driving,” adding, “We are building an autonomous driving ecosystem through ICT-based collaboration with various vehicle partners based on vehicle communication technology.”"I expect it will happen," he stated.