Robotic traffic cones swarm onto highways

NewScientist.com ^ | April 28, 2004 | Max Glaskin

[Akira]

Herds of robotic traffic cones could soon be swarming onto a highway, closing down lanes and slowing the traffic.

The new road markers have been developed by Shane Farritor, a roboticist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in a bid to help reduce the $100 billion per year that the Department of Transportation estimates is lost to the US economy through accidents and delays caused by highway lane closures.

The self-propelled markers take the form of robotic three-wheeled bases for the brightly coloured barrels that are set out to demarcate road repair zones. Farritor says they can open and close traffic lanes faster and more safely than humans.

The markers are delivered to the roadside by a specially equipped truck, from which an operator controls their deployment using a laptop computer. Each fleet of robots is made up of a lead robot or "shepherd", which is equipped with a Global Positioning System satellite navigation receiver, plus a number of less expensive "dumb" units.

The laptop screen displays an image of the road, captured by a camera mounted on top of the truck. Using software developed by Farritor's team, the operator marks on the screen where the barrels should be placed.

Dead reckoning

From this the software calculates the GPS coordinates of the point where the shepherd should be placed, and this is sent to the shepherd via a radio link. The shepherd takes up its position, and also tells the other markers, by radio, where to go. They then use dead reckoning - counting how many times their wheels turn, for instance - to work out their position.

Each robotic base has two electric motors, powered by a 12-volt lead-acid battery, which drive two 20-centimetre-diameter wheels. This allows the robot bases to turn on the spot, and travel at up to 1.3 metres per second - about walking pace.

The shepherd checks its "sheep" are in the right place using a laser-based radar (or "lidar") system to correct any positional errors. The lidar also has a safety role. If a marker is detected consistently straying out of position, the shepherd moves it out of harm's way and shuts it down.

On a test track, Farritor and his team used a swarm of six markers to form wedge-shaped lane barriers. He says they were able to achieve an accuracy close to that of humans.

Cost cutting

"Our tests proved these robots can work in teams to provide traffic control," he says. "Deploying and retrieving highway markers on open roads is hazardous so the robots will reduce risks for workmen," he adds.

Farritor says the next steps will be to improve the graphical positioning software on the PC and to cut the cost of the cones so the idea can be commercialised.

The prototypes cost $700 each, but the team aims to reduce that to $200 by using cheaper motors. "At that price I believe the savings will mean it will still be affordable if one dies in the line of duty," he says.

Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA Motoring Trust in the UK, welcomed the idea. "They could be a big help on lanes that are shut during quiet times and reopened during peak traffic periods," he says.

[Akira]

It'll be interesting to see where this leads...

[King Prout]

people will steal these things.
watch and see.

[Bikers4Bush]

"At that price I believe the savings will mean it will still be affordable if one dies in the line of duty," he says.

One my arse, try losing 8-10 every weekend.

[Little Pig]

Maybe these will be able to dodge...of course that just makes the challenge more interesting for some.

[Grit]

It'll be interesting to see where this leads...

This will no doubt lead to robotic spiders attacking Gene Simmons.

[Akira]

That was the first thought that ran through my mind as I finished the article.

[Bikers4Bush]

Lol, very true!

[Akira]

Very strange. I thought of that movie (and Gene Simmons being behind this) too.

[Buell_X1-1200]

Read this on Drudge this morning. I'll tell you where it will lead, into the homes of teenagers.

"Hey man, checkit out ... I swiped a robo-cone".

It's no different than having a $5 Stop Sign hanging on the wall in your apartment. Only difference is the robots are $200 each! I can see it now, group of kids running over the whole group. Thousands of dollars in loss.

Just wait until a group of cones route traffic into accidents. I can see it now "It's the cone's fault".

[RightWhale]

So now if you nail a traffic cone with your F-350 you might be killing a sentient being?

[SpyGuy]

Good idea; poor implementation.

Instead of building robotic traffic cones, they should be building a robot that places static cones.

These robotic cones will be hit by vehicles at a similar rate as static cones (costly even if they get the price well below $200 each), and will be subject to a MUCH higher rate of theft (think of all those kids out there that will want their own personal traffic cone robot, not to mention the value of the stolen batteries, motors, etc.)

[King Prout]

guess I'm of a more larcenous nature than you: that was my first thought upon finishing reading the first paragraph :)

[Akira]

Each robot should carry a 200 volt charge, larceny issue solved. Or poisonous spikes? So many options... ;-)

[Only1choice____Freedom]

"Hey man, checkit out ... I swiped a robo-cone".

"You idiot, they're lojacked!!! Get rid of it NOW!!!"

[theFIRMbss]

>It'll be interesting to see where this leads...

It will lead to gangs of Keep Left signs attacking helpless British priests . . .

[Agnes Heep]

Now all they need is a deeply-suntanned blonde robot with big bazookas to hold the SLOW sign.

[Nick Danger]

So now if you nail a traffic cone with your F-350 you might be killing a sentient being?

Not only that, but if you whack the "shepherd", all the other ones jump into the trees with it.

[King Prout]

yes, exactly - i was thinking that the robot-wars geeks would snap these puppies up for "hangar-queens"

[King Prout]

red alert: funny thread in progress.

[mhking]

They move of their own volition, onto roads everywhere. And if you get close enough to hear them, you can hear their shrill voices screaming, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"