Technology will improve road safety

road safety constructionLarge road projects provide a unique opportunity to develop and test technology in a realistic environment. Photo: AF Group

Technology will improve road safety

Norwegian road project focuses on technology development – will make the road safer for drivers and work safer for construction workers.

 

When the AF Group will build the main part of the new European Route 39 (E39) between Kristiansand and Mandal, Research and Development (R & D) of technologies will be included as part of the New Roads (Nye Veier) offer. SINTEF will be R & D partner in the project.

Notification of ice formation and autonomous construction machines

Salting of roads costs the Norwegian society millions each year. One of the technologies to be developed is sensors that measure and predict ice formation on the roads. A tool that detects and warns about ice formation will reduce operating costs, make roads safer and save the environment from unnecessary salting. The aim of the project is to develop a prototype of a system that can later be commercialised.

– We will use both SINTEF’s newly developed technology to create reasonably priced optical sensors that “sees” the ice, and base on the technology already available to create models that can alert of ice-formation before the event. The construction of a new road system provides a unique opportunity to test sensors over time, says Senior Advisor and Head of the Project for SINTEF, Terje Moen.

The second R & D investment in the road project is the development of autonomous or self-propelled construction machinery.

– Several types of construction machines are challenging to drive, with a lot of noise and vibration. If the driver can also control multiple construction machines from a control room, it provides both a substantial Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) gain and an economical saving. In order to be able to use completely self-propelled construction machines in the future, the legislation must be adapted, and that the technology and especially the sensors are developed to cope with the Nordic climate, Moen explains.

R & D is part of the development project

The E39 Kristiansand west – Mandal East project aims to realise an innovative and future-oriented road project. The AF Group chose SINTEF as a partner to develop technology that will reduce costs and increase road safety.

“In SINTEF we have expertise in both optics and sensors, as well as road and construction technology. When these professional communities work together, we have very good prerequisites for both developing and testing technology that can be taken in use rapidly. In this way, we can also reap valuable knowledge and experience that can be transferred to other systems. It is a boon that Nye Veier chooses to incorporate R & D as part of the major development project.”

~ CEO of SINTEF, Hanne Rønneberg

The road development project will last from 2019 to 2022.

 

© SINTEF / #Norway Today