Mobility Award for ten inventions that make travel safer

Laymen may not recognize them at first glance, but the lower air space is full of obstacles. That's why Lufthansa has developed a database listing all known obstacles - worldwide. Pilots can see power lines, skyscrapers and windmills in real time. It's particularly useful for helicopter pilots in bad weather.

Sensors can detect almost everything that can go wrong in an airplane. Only the pilot himself has not yet become the object of technological scrutiny. The A-PiMod cockpit is likely to change that. Developed by the German aerospace center DLR, it observes gestures, eye movements and the controls handled by the pilot and draws conclusions: Is the pilot awake, healthy and fit to do his job right?

Volkswagen's "Emergency Assist" system works in a similar fashion: It continually checks the activities of the driver and intervenes if necessary. It will reduce the gas, take over the steering to make sure the car stays in its lane and even hit the brakes if it's necessary to avoid a crash. In the case of dropping off at the wheel it can save lives.

This is another systems that intervenes when humans don't. The dguard eCall-system for motor cyclists will detect a severe crash and automatically send an emergency call to first responders. eCall already exists for cars. For new cars it will become mandatory in the EU in 2018. Motorcyclists, who are more endangered, are exempted from this rule. They have to buy it if they want the safety.

Many people don't feel very secure in busses and trams - especially at night, when there aren't many people around. To make sure that help comes quickly in the case of medical emergencies, violence or crimes several transport agencies, universities and research institutes have joined forces and developed a digital emergency management system called InREAKT.

Ghostbuster is the name of this gadget. It will detect ghost drivers at freeway exits - and alert them about their mistake. At the same time it will send out an emergency call and warn other drivers of the coming danger. Once installed, it will work for ages - powered by solar cells. The system was developed by Daniel Gillo, Julian Neu and Benjamin Kirsch from the university of Saarland.

wuidi is designed to avoid accidents with wild animals. In Germany alone, such an accident happens every two minutes. A driver entering a potentially dangerous area will receive a notice - on the mobile phone or the GPS device. The data is more up to date than a old fashion traffic sign. wuidi also takes into account past accidents, weather and the rutting season.

Almost everybody who has eveb relied on a GPS device knows the situation: The device suggests an alternative route that's even more jammed than the freeway. PSIroads-MDS is designed to solve the problem. The traffic management system sends different drivers to a variety of different routes. That's good for the travellers and for the environment, since there are fewer traffic jams.

Traffic education is most effective when kids can relate to it. The Fraunhofer IVI, therefore, developed FAPS, a system that identifies the most dangerous spots around schools and neighborhoods - based on real accident data. Then, schools receive this information to prepare educational projects - based on real threats.

HIGH-TOOL is designed to help politicians and planners in arriving at educated conclusions. The analytical tool can help estimate the aftereffects of today's decisions into the decades to come. It can process about 200 variables for urban planners. And it's not only made for politicians: Citizen initiatives and others can download and use the open source software - and develop their own ideas.