Irish experts part of EU anti-terror project
Irish technology experts are part of an EU-funded consortium tasked with finding ways of preventing trucks being used by terrorists.
Researchers at Waterford Institute of Technology, along with experts from three other countries and a global truck manufacturer, have been awarded the €3m project to provide solutions to a pressing security threat.
Trucks have been used against civilians in deadly attacks in Nice, Berlin, and Stockholm, while vans have been utilised in Barcelona and London.
The threat posed by them has also been assessed by Garda Security and Intelligence and has resulted in a number of measures, including reinforced barriers protecting major public events and pedestrian areas.
The Telecommunications, Software and Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology is one of five partner organisations involved in the EU TransSec project.
They intend to use advanced vehicle movement and navigation systems, pre-crash detection of “vulnerable objects”, and automatic manoeuvring and emergency braking systems to prevent both new and retrofitted trucks being used as weapons.
It is not yet clear if or when the technology will be operational or practical, and the cost involved, including in retrofitting trucks is not yet clear.
TSSG research unit manager Frances Cleary said: “Terror attacks with trucks in Nice and Berlin have shown drastically the damage a heavy truck can cause, how easy it is to misuse a truck for attacks, and that the newest safety systems cannot prevent these attacks.
“As a consequence of such terrorist-related incidents, road transport safety has to be supplemented by road transport security.
“The TSSG project team will help to produce an early prototype which can be implemented by truck companies during manufacture or retrofitted to existing fleets.”
She said the team will demonstrate the effectiveness of the system with a truck both “on and off road” after 12, 24, and 36 months of the project’s lifetime.
She said testing and pilots on “public roads and public areas” will provide a higher level of security.
As part of the project, Daimler AG is focusing on truck manufacture, electronic components, and integrated vehicle technology.
“Terrorist attacks using vehicles are very hard to prevent, but there are security measures that truck manufacturers and cities could take,” said Ms Cleary. “
TransSec will focus on developing security solutions for trucks to avoid their usage as terrorist weapons.”
