BlackBerry subsidiary QNX Software Systems will provide its QNX Neutrino Realtime operating system (OS) for Swarco Traffic Systems’ ACTROS family of intelligent traffic light controllers.

Bringing a smart approach to managing urban traffic, ACTROS controllers are claimed to be designed to enhance safety, optimise existing road infrastructure and improve traffic flow to minimise carbon emissions.

ACTROS family consists of ACTROS.compact, an energy-efficient device for smaller intersections and pedestrian crossings, and the ACTROS.alpha solution for handling complex, multi-lane intersections with high volumes of traffic.

"Optimising traffic flow in busy urban areas is vitally important to driver safety, the economy and the environment."

Swarco Traffic Systems project manager and R&D director Manfred Rosskopf said: "For safety’s sake, our systems must offer reliable, timely, uninterrupted service.

"The QNX Neutrino OS, with its robust architecture and proven history in safety-critical systems, offered an ideal platform to achieve these goals."

ACTROS controllers equipped with QNX Neutrino OS can operate 24h a day and 365 days a year.

The Neutrino Realtime OS’s modular architecture allows customers to create optimised and reliable systems at a low cost.

The new OS will enable ACTROS to secure certification of IEC 61508 functional safety standard.

QNX Software Systems senior vice-president and head John Wall said: "For decades, QNX technology, chosen for its unmatched reliability, has been powering traffic control systems and other transportation applications for the automotive, marine, and railway industries.

"Optimising traffic flow in busy urban areas is vitally important to driver safety, the economy and the environment."