Ray C. Anderson Foundation

Ray C. Anderson Foundation

Developing connected road studs

Context

The Ray is pioneering innovations in road infrastructure to make highways safer and smarter. It asked Innovia to explore making a solar road stud ‘smart’, so it could detect driving dangers, and improve driving safety.

Approach

Looking at accident statistics and the psychology of driving, Innovia creatively explored road stud concepts that targeted the biggest dangers, such as using amber hazard lights to follow drunk or impaired drivers. These concepts were simulated in a small-scale study to optimise effectiveness. We simultaneously designed a system architecture capable of achieving this functionality, for which we explored technologies to detect vehicle movements and communicate wirelessly. The team of designers, engineers, physicists and behavioural scientists worked iteratively to refine the system design.

Impact

The result was an innovative road stud system, leading to several patent applications. Innovia’s animations and prototype of the system will be presented to government transport departments and industry leading manufacturers by The Ray, which aims to initiate a trial along a US highway. Innovia continues to support The Ray in this pursuit.

The system: a roadside control box builds a predictive traffic model based on vehicle movements to identify dangers, and light the studs accordingly.

The system: a roadside control box builds a predictive traffic model based on vehicle movements to identify dangers, and light the studs accordingly.

Left to right: sketch ideation of road stud signals, expanded view of stud components, prototype of stud unit

Left to right: sketch ideation of road stud signals, expanded view of stud components, prototype of stud unit

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