“Smart” Roads

Kansas City startup company, Integrated Roadways, is currently in the process of developing “smart pavement.” This technology is intended to increase safety on roadways while also serving as a Wi-Fi platform for vehicles and other mobile services. Tim Sylvester, CEO and founder of Integrated Roadways, says that it is a “…system that transforms the road into a sensor, data and connectivity network for next-generation vehicles.” Currently, the system will be used to detect crashes as they happen and notify emergency responders automatically.

The pavement would be able to collect real-time data of crashes that involved vehicles which had run off the road. This information would provide a “statistical model about aggregate behavior” of drivers on the roadway. At this time, the data is unable to track a vehicle and the speed at which they are going. However, in the future the technology would be for the road to act similar to a tracking pad found on a computer mouse. This would then allow it to determine the speed and direction that a vehicle is traveling.

If “smart pavement” is successful, this could be a potential boost for truck transportation. The technology could be utilized to allow shippers and carriers to determine the real-time location of freight during its transit. This would also allow them to determine a more spot-on ETA for delivery. The development of “smart pavement” would also assist in improving the technology for self-driving vehicles. All in all, this development would be a positive asset for quick and efficient transportation.

Contributer: Mary Winter

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References:

Cronkleton, Robert A. “Wi-Fi in the Road? Kansas City Start-Up Developing 'Smart'       

Pavement.” Transport Topics, 21 May 2018, www.ttnews.com/articles/wi-fi-road-kansas-city- start-developing-smart-pavement.