Robotic Safety Markers;Final Report

摘要

The safety of highway construction and maintenance workers is an important issue and proper traffic control is critical to work zone safety. Devices such as signs, barricades, traffic cones, and plastic safety barrels are used to control traffic. Work zone housekeeping, tasks such as covering and uncovering signs and moving traffic control devices, is one of the most important elements in reducing accidents. While housekeeping is important, it comes at a very high cost. Worker time is required to set up hundreds of safety devices-often at the beginning and end of each workday. However, safety markers located far from the work crew or left in place around the clock leads to driver complacency. In addition, deployment and retrieval activities are extremely dangerous because of the proximity of passing vehicles. New technologies may be useful in reducing accidents. This project has developed a mobile Robotic Safety Barrel (and a similar Robotic Safety Sign). Safety barrels guide traffic and serve as a visible barrier between traffic and work crews. These barrels consist of a brightly colored plastic drum (approximately 130cm high and 50cm in diameter) that is attached to a heavy base. The robotic safety barrel replaces the heavy base with a mobile robot that transports the safety barrel. The robots work in teams to provide traffic control. Independent, autonomous barrel motion has several advantages. First, the barrels can self-deploy and self-retrieve, eliminating the dangerous task of manually placing barrels. Second, their positions can be quickly and remotely re-configured as the work zone changes thus reducing the work zone size. Finally, barrels can continuously follow work crews during slow moving maintenance operations such as asphalt overlay.