Road Guard

작품의 기능

Road Guard is an autonomous system that quickly deploys LED cones after highway accidents to prevent secondary collisions. It forms a diagonal LED barrier, offering strong visual alerts that improve driver awareness before responders arrive.

영감의 원천

Road Guard was created to address the danger of secondary highway accidents, which often occur due to delayed visibility and the slow, risky setup of safety equipment. Inspired by real incidents where emergency workers faced serious danger, our team aimed to build a system that responds faster than humans, especially in low-visibility or urgent situations. Traditional tools like warning triangles and flares are often poorly placed, hard to see, or neglected under stress. Road Guard solves these problems with automated, precise, and intelligent deployment, eliminating the need for people to enter hazardous roads.

작동원리

Road Guard activates manually or automatically via crash signals, vehicle sensors, or AI dashcam analysis. Once triggered, the robot exits the vehicle and deploys LED cones at regular intervals using a rotating agitator, forming a diagonal warning line that maximizes driver visibility. Each cone is wirelessly linked to synchronize LED flashing, ensuring strong visibility in all conditions. The robot uses a 4WD platform for stable movement on slopes, curves, and uneven roads—surpassing typical servo-based systems. After the danger passes, it enters retrieval mode, reversing over and collecting the cones with magnetized wheels and internal guides. The system operates fully autonomously, with sensors and wireless modules providing real-time feedback and status monitoring to the control unit.

개발 과정

During the development of Road Guard, we designed, built, and tested a functional prototype using 3D-printed parts and CFRP to ensure a lightweight yet rigid structure suitable for mobile deployment. The prototype featured an 8-channel wireless system to control the system. One of the key technical challenges was designing an agitator and storage mechanism that could release cones one at a time without jamming or leaving cones stuck inside. To address this, we adopted a rounded, symmetrical cone shape that rolls predictably regardless of orientation. Initial field tests revealed that cones sometimes tipped or rolled sideways after being dispensed. This issue was resolved by changing the cone shape from a tapered profile to a fully curved surface. For the retrieval mechanism, we ran extensive tests to adjust magnet shape, spacing, and insertion depth to find the optimal holding force that ensured strong pickup without over-attachment. Additionally, the wedge structure used to release cones from the magnetic wheel was redesigned from a sharp taper to a smooth curved profile, improving consistency and reliability. These refinements allowed us to achieve stable and fully automated cone deployment and collection, forming the basis for our next development phase.

독창성

Road Guard is an advanced road safety system that replaces traditional tools like warning triangles with full automation. It deploys and retrieves cones without requiring anyone to enter the road, removing human risk during emergencies. Unlike manual or fixed systems, Road Guard is mobile, autonomous, and handles the entire process independently. Its diagonal cone pattern aligns with drivers’ line of sight and motion path, improving visibility and reaction time. The LED cones communicate wirelessly to flash in sync, creating a clear and unified warning in all conditions. Equipped with a 4WD platform, it operates reliably on slopes, curves, and uneven surfaces where typical robots fail. Its modular design allows integration with patrol, logistics, or emergency vehicles. Combining mobility, smart coordination, and full automation, Road Guard delivers a faster, safer, and more intelligent solution for roadside emergencies.

향후 계획

We are developing a commercial version of Road Guard for integration with highway patrol and logistics vehicles. Planned upgrades include AI-based accident detection via dashcams, enhanced motor and sensor control for faster deployment, waterproofing to industrial standards, and V2X communication to sync with nearby vehicles and infrastructure. Future versions will directly connect with vehicle systems for smarter, seamless operation. To enable scalability and reduce costs, we aim to adopt plastic injection molding for mass production, making Road Guard a practical and widely deployable safety solution.

수상 내역

Road Guard was awarded at the Road Service Management Conference hosted by the Korea Expressway Corporation, in recognition of its innovation in accident prevention and its contribution to smart mobility and intelligent traffic safety systems.