- Armstrong Aboah NDSU assistant professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
- Umamaheswara Rao Tida NDSU assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
This project focuses on deploying solar-powered, ruggedized IoT sensor units with multiple sensing capabilities to enhance work zone safety. Using low-cost embedded systems for edge processing and object detection, the system triggers visual and audible alerts when risk conditions are detected. With the alarming number of injuries and fatalities in work zones, and an annual $1 billion expenditure on traffic control and safety in the U.S., the market need is significant.
The project has made significant progress, completing tasks such as data collection, development of crash predictors, vehicle detection framework, and speed algorithms, and triggering the alert system. Six students have been trained through this grant, including four graduate students and two undergraduate students.