I-Corps: Self-powered, Low-Cost Smart Traffic Detection and Warning System

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a traffic monitoring system that may have a great economic impact by saving lives at intersections. The state and municipalities transportation engineers will benefit from integrating the sensing technology with the data collected in order to improve intersection design and adjust signage and approaching speeds. The technology also will provide real-time data that may be used in post-event inspection and traffic analysis. The impact of this system may benefit rural communities by reducing crashes and fatalities as a result of improved driver awareness of active signage. In addition, the energy sector may benefit since renewable energy will be used to activate these low cost sensors allowing them to function independent of the utility grid. The system may impact other areas/applications, such as improving pedestrian traffic as well as the safety of railroad intersections. The goal is to identify potential customers, including government agencies such as Department of Transportation engineers, city public works directors, consultants, and industries to make the system adaptable across a variety of industries and use cases.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a self-powered and low-cost active traffic monitoring system to be used at unsignalized intersections to warn vehicles of traffic control devices. This system uses one multi-pixel passive infrared sensing detection module with a horizontal viewing angle to detect passing vehicles and estimate the traffic parameters of a two-lane, two-way roadway, and then provide active signage to alert the motorist of potential dangers. The detection module is designed to be an off-pavement system that is quickly and easily installed on pre-existing infrastructure without impeding traffic. The sensor consumes low power, has a large field of view, and is able to collect a wide range of data while protecting the privacy of the motorist. Multiple novel sets of algorithms have been developed to enable this type of sensor to detect traffic, calculate velocity, determine the classification of passing vehicles by their thermal signatures, and send a warning transmission. The warning module activates the traffic control device for a dynamic period of time that is determined using the calculated velocity of the vehicle. The goal of this project is to achieve a better understanding of the customer needs and requirements to achieve commercialization.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.