# Synergies and Potential of Industry 4.0 and Automated Vehicles in Smart City Infrastructure
## 3 Results
### Synergies and Potential between Automated Vehicles and Smart Cities  
Automated vehicles and smart cities represent two interconnected technologies with huge potential for transforming transport and urban life. Automated vehicles, which can drive themselves without driver intervention, ensure increased safety, fluidity, and efficiency of transport. Smart cities, which use information and communication technologies to optimize urban systems, can further exploit these benefits of automated vehicles for the benefit of citizens in a number of areas [38]. The areas of interpenetration between smart cities and automated vehicles and their advantages/disadvantages are listed below. More efficient transport in smart cities, thanks to automated vehicles, represents a fundamental change in the way traffic is managed and how transport networks are used. Automated vehicles can communicate with each other and with the central transport system, allowing more dynamic adaptation of routes and speeds of individual vehicles. With such communication, vehicles can optimize the flow of traffic between each other based on current traffic and road conditions [39]. Smart cities can also use data on vehicle movements and traffic to drive traffic lights and other traffic devices and signs. These systems dynamically adjust traffic lights to prioritize vehicle movements based on the current road situation, minimizing time spent in congestion and improving traffic flow and safety. Analytical tools using traffic data from automated vehicles can predict congestion and identify critical points in the traffic network. Based on this data, smart cities can take action to prevent congestion and improve traffic flow. Based on traffic and vehicle movement data, smart cities plan and implement improvements to transport infrastructure. This can include widening roads, creating new lanes, optimizing parking spaces, and promoting public transport to increase the efficiency of overall transport [40]. Through the above measures, the potential of automated vehicles can be exploited to the maximum and, thanks to such a connection, they can together contribute to more efficient and faster transport in cities, which will avoid traffic jams and improve the overall travel experience of individual city residents and tourists. At the same time, it should be said that speeding up traffic and relieving congestion will also ensure lower carbon emissions and thus improve the air in cities overall. At the same time, thanks to sensors and communication units, automated vehicles can communicate with each other. However, communication does not only take place on a horizontal level between cars but also with traffic signs, traffic lights, and surrounding buildings. Such inter-vehicle communication ensures a very rapid exchange of data and information on various road traffic elements, such as current road conditions, including traffic information and weather conditions. As mentioned above, these vehicles are equipped with advanced sensors and technologies that allow them to quickly detect potentially dangerous situations on the road, such as nearby vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles. Thanks to computer units that allow a very rapid assessment of the situation and, at the same time, interface with other vehicles, these vehicles are able to minimize the risk of accidents and take preventive measures to minimize the risk of road accidents. It is essential to recall that automated vehicles analyze the behavior and movements of other road users based on historical data and current conditions. This analysis allows vehicles to anticipate potentially dangerous situations and, most importantly, it allows them to learn from past situations and, thanks to the things learned, adapt their behavior to minimize the risk of collisions and accidents in the future [41]. Automated vehicles not only bring faster traffic and higher levels of safety to smart cities but can also be used for parking optimization.