Hesai and partners demo lidar system that turns existing roadside infrastructure into smart traffic sensors
Hesai, Bike-Facilities, Ursa Dynamics and FlashEye have demonstrated a lidar-based add-on that lets one roadside installation track cyclists, pedestrians, cars and more in real time.
What Happened
Across Europe, cities are investing in cycling infrastructure, pedestrian-friendly centers, shared spaces and Low Emission Zones while facing pressure to improve safety and traffic flow. Existing roadside technologies — traffic counters, radar and inductive loops — each solve a single problem and only provide part of the picture. The need is for a more complete understanding of the traffic scene without replacing infrastructure that is already deployed.
Bike-Facilities, Ursa Dynamics, FlashEye and Hesai Technology have collaborated on an intelligent roadside perception solution. Bike-Facilities supplies existing roadside infrastructure installed across Europe, Ursa Dynamics built the industrial hardware platform and system integration, FlashEye contributes the perception software, and Hesai provides the JT128 lidar sensor. The combined system transforms existing roadside infrastructure into a real-time traffic intelligence source and was demonstrated at the VeloCity bike exhibition in Rimini, adding advanced perception without extensive civil engineering or new deployments.
- Each provides only one type of information: people counters count, radar measures speed and presence, inductive loops de
- Provides a complete three-dimensional understanding of the traffic scene, identifying road users and tracking position,
- Bicycle lane usage analysis
- Cyclist counting
- Adaptive traffic light prioritization
- Detection of unauthorized vehicles in bicycle streets or pedestrian-only areas
- Supervision of Low Emission Zones and restricted access areas
- Wrong-way driving detection
A single installation can simultaneously detect cyclists, pedestrians, scooters, motorcycles, passenger cars, buses and trucks, measuring their position, speed, direction and trajectories. The solution uses Hesai's JT128 lidar, which offers 360° coverage, high point cloud density, automotive-grade reliability, compact dimensions and excellent cost-performance, operating day and night in challenging conditions. By replacing multiple dedicated roadside technologies with one perception platform, cities can reduce infrastructure complexity while supporting a wide range of operational needs.
Previously from Hesai Technology
Hesai has previously worked on lidar-based traffic intelligence, partnering with AMORPH to explain the behavior behind traffic events that traditional systems only count or alert on. The company also showcased its Kosmo spatial intelligence platform and JT series robotic lidar at WAIC 2026.
- Hesai, AMORPH: Lidar and Spatial Intelligence Reveal What Traffic Data Misses
- Hesai Showcases Kosmo Spatial Intelligence Platform and Robotic Lidar at WAIC 2026
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Hesai Technology's official releases.
Why this matters
For European cities investing in cycling infrastructure and low-emission zones, this solution adds high-resolution traffic perception to existing installations without costly new construction. It means a single sensor can feed everything from adaptive traffic lights to bike-lane enforcement, giving traffic managers and planners richer data for safety and mobility decisions.
Terms in This Story
- lidar
- A sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and create detailed 3D maps of the surroundings.
- Low Emission Zone
- An area where access is restricted or charged for vehicles that do not meet certain emission standards.
- inductive loops
- Embedded road sensors that use magnetic fields to detect vehicles passing over them.
- point cloud density
- The concentration of laser measurement points in a lidar scan, which determines how detailed the 3D view is.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.