I-Corps: Costumer Discovery for Demand-responsive Transverse Rumble Strips

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供一种安全装置，以减少交通事故、伤害和死亡。现有的替代技术本身无法满足现有的需求。在美国，每年有近6,000名行人死亡和70,000名行人受伤。从2016年到2017年，行人死亡人数增加了27%。此外，全美有13万所学校需要增强技术来提高驾驶员的警觉性。2017年，铁路道口发生了2,000多起撞车事故，造成289人死亡。全球对拟议的交通安全装置存在强烈的需求，因为没有具有类似有效性的替代品。由于所提出的设备仅在需要时才激活，因此与替代技术相比，它具有更广泛的应用范围。例如，所提出的装置在自动驾驶车辆的情况下提供冗余，以最小化由于检测或导航系统中的故障和/或失灵而导致的碰撞的可能性。也就是说，所提出的设备提供了一种替代的通信信道，以提醒自动驾驶车辆减速或停止。所提出的设备背后的概念，以提高安全性，可以扩展到其他环境，如建筑工地。这个I-Corps项目是关于客户发现的需求响应横向隆隆声带（DRTRS）机制，只有在必要时才会激活（降低一系列条），通过噪音和振动提醒司机和车辆下游风险。永久性横向齿纹带主要用于交叉口、收费广场、水平曲线和工作区的引道上，以降低交通速度。传统的横向齿纹标志已被证明是有效的。然而，随着时间的推移，驾驶员逐渐熟悉他们的位置，他们的效率往往会降低。不必要的噪音、车辆老化和路面磨损是与传统的横向齿纹带相关的额外问题。我们的研究的知识价值是：（一）一个有效的和可部署的DRTRS机制，解决上述问题和（二）评估其有效性和所需的维护。建议的智能优点要求同时解决重大挑战，包括极端环境和异质交通条件下的可操作性和可靠性，小深度以尽量减少对现有路面完整性的影响，易于快速维护和更换，最小的维护时间表，以及雪犁操作下的耐久性。此外，该项目还帮助我们提高了对使用声学和触觉来预防事故的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to provide a safety device to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Existing alternative technologies alone are unable to address the existing demand. In the U.S, nearly 6,000 pedestrian fatalities and 70,000 pedestrian injuries occur each year. From 2016 to 2017 there was a 27% increase in pedestrian fatalities. Additionally, 130,000 schools across the United States need enhanced techniques to increase driver alertness. In 2017, over 2,000 crashes resulting in 289 deaths occurred at rail crossings. A strong global demand exists for the proposed traffic safety device because there are not alternatives with similar effectiveness. Because the proposed device will be active only when required, it has a much broader range of applications compared to alternative technologies. For example, the proposed devise provides redundancy in the case of autonomous vehicles to minimize the likelihood of crashes due to failures and/or malfunction in the detection or navigation systems. That is, the proposed device provides an alternative communication channel to alert the autonomous vehicle to slow down or stop. The concept behind the proposed device to enhance safety can be extended to other environments such as construction sites. This I-Corps project is about customer discovery for a Demand-Responsive Transverse Rumble Strip (DRTRS) mechanism, which becomes active (lowers an array of strips) only when necessary to alert drivers and vehicles through noise and vibration of downstream risks. Permanent transverse rumble strips are mainly used on approaches to intersections, toll plazas, horizontal curves, and work zones to slow down traffic. Traditional transverse rumble strips have been shown to be effective. However, drivers become familiar with their location over time and their effectiveness tends to diminish. Unnecessary noise, vehicle deterioration, and pavement wear out are additional concerns associated with traditional transverse rumble strips. The intellectual merits of our research are: (i) an effective and deployable DRTRS mechanism that addresses the above issues and (ii) evaluation of its effectiveness and required maintenance. The proposed intellectual merits required addressing simultaneously significant challenges including operability and reliability under extreme environmental and heterogeneous traffic conditions, small depth to minimize affecting the integrity of the existing pavement, easy and rapid maintenance and replacement, minimal maintenance schedules, and durability under snow plow operations. In addition, this project is helping us improve our understanding of using acoustic and haptic senses to prevent accidents.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.