A bus stop at Aachen’s Blücherplatz offers more than just shelter from the rain and somewhere to sit.

When Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, NRW’s Minister for the Economy, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy came to visit, “Digital Aachen” proudly showed its best side. In the DigitalHub on Jülicher Straße, the numerous innovative start-ups that are based there presented themselves and their work.
One excellent example of how science can be turned into business is the joint project of the companies RBL Media and So Nah. One company provides outdoor advertising; the other is busy tackling infrastructural challenges with the help of sensors. Together, they have come up with an intelligent bus stop that can collect data.
Needs-based traffic management
So do we really need to worry, now that even bus stops are collecting data on us? Of course not! This one measures, for example, how many people are currently waiting at the bus stop – data which would enable fleet management to react directly. If more people are waiting there, a bigger bus is sent; if fewer people are waiting, a smaller one. That makes sense, doesn’t it? And it conserves resources.
In addition, the bus stop can measure the tailback that builds up at the traffic lights. Traffic planners can respond to this input and adapt the traffic light settings. That goes easier on the environment – and on drivers’ nerves.
To find out more about what the other start-ups in the Church are working on day in and day out, what fields digitalisation “Made in Aachen” is focusing on, why sustainable inner-city development is a relevant topic, and what Prof. Pinkwart experienced during his visit, click here (German only).

 
17.04.2019.