Kapsch TrafficCom wins Barcelona innovation challenge with AI-powered traffic management

Kapsch TrafficCom has won first prize in the fifth edition of the international Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility Challenge.

With its AI traffic management project titled MATCAB (Multimodal AI Traffic Control Agent Barcelona), the company succeeded against international competitors. The solution, which integrates with the EcoTrafiX platform by Kapsch TrafficCom, will now be tested in a pilot project Barcelona, using artificial intelligence to improve traffic light phases in real time.

Organized by the Barcelona City Council and Fira de Barcelona, the city’s trade fair ground, the challenge sought innovative AI-based solutions capable of improving urban mobility, reducing emissions, and enhancing quality of life. The focus was on intelligent traffic signal systems that can continuously adapt to changing traffic conditions while balancing the needs of all road users.

“We are proud that MATCAB has been recognized as the winning solution. By combining AI with existing infrastructure, cities can improve mobility for pedestrians, public transit riders, cyclists, and drivers, while making transportation networks safer, more inclusive, more sustainable, and more efficient,” said Juan Zamakona, Managing Director Iberia at Kapsch TrafficCom.

Real-time traffic management instead of fixed-time signal plans

MATCAB replaces conventional, static traffic signal timing plans with an AI-based adaptive system. It combines multimodal sensor data and traffic simulation to continuously optimize signal operations based on current traffic conditions. The final pilot location will be selected jointly with the City of Barcelona at the start of the project.

The system is designed to balance the needs of different road users, including pedestrians, public transport, cyclists, micromobility users, and private vehicles. Developed jointly with CENIT, the innovation unit of Catalonian engineering center CIMNE, the solution is the first time that Kapsch TrafficCom combines comprehensive sensor data and AI to improve traffic for all road users.

Road safety by design

Road safety and especially the protection of vulnerable road users is a core objective of the project. Critical safety parameters, such as pedestrian crossing times, emergency vehicle priority and regulatory safety constraints, remain under deterministic control and cannot be altered by the AI system.

In addition, every change proposed by the AI agents is first validated in a digital twin of the road network before being implemented in the field. Any adjustment can be reversed at any time.

Tangible mobility and environmental benefits

During the pilot phase, MATCAB aims to reduce average pedestrian waiting times by at least five percent, improve public transport reliability and travel times, and cut severe congestion events by at least ten percent. These improvements are expected to contribute to lower emissions, better air quality, and more efficient use of existing infrastructure.

Through MATCAB, Kapsch TrafficCom and CENIT seek to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can help cities move beyond static traffic management and toward a dynamic, multimodal approach that improves mobility for everyone.

Source: Kapsch TrafficCom