SBIR-STTR Award

Current safety markers for aiding drivers in fog conditions only mark lane boundaries or warn motorists to lower speeds. These aids are not effective, however, for informing the driver of the location of leading vehicles. Tenelex Industries, Inc., is proposing to develop a low-cost, passive solar powered, electronically activated, LED race pavement marker called LifeLites. These markers would be automatically triggered using an optical and/or sonic triggering mechanism that would activate the LEDs, leaving a lighted trail behind a passing vehicle to of their near presence. Tenelex Industries, Inc., will negotiate with federal and state highway safety regulating agencies to incorporate their requirements into the prototype design. Design considerations will include the capacity for future networking LifeLites for traffic pacing in tunnels and bridges. Anticipated

Benefits:
Low-cost electronic race pavement markers offer significant benefits for public safety. In addition to use in fog-related conditions, these passive solar powered units could be used on rural or mountain roads where hills or curves limit visibility.

The development of automatic light-emitting diode (LED) race pavement markers for highway safety in for conditions is proposed. It is possible to design and build, using readily available components, standalone, low-power, devices to provide warning to trailing drivers in the form of a "light trail" of the proximity of vehicles ahead under fog or other low visibility conditions. These devices also serve to delineate the roadway boundary under such conditions. With the addition of inexpensive micro-processors, these units become more intelligent and are capable not only of detecting the presence of a vehicle (moving or stalled) but can measure its speed and possibility the vehicle type. They thus can become a key element of an intelligent traffic system.

Benefits:
Anticipated benefits are in the saving of hundreds of lives and millions of dollars in property loss by alleviating the occurrence and severity of accidents in fog. Both federal and state highway departments should have strong interest in the purchase and development of these devices as their utility and practicality become evident.