As a leader in the infrastructure industry, InfraStripe looks for ways to make highway building safer for everyone who is involved. In the 21st century, the path to safer work zones is often paved with help from new technologies.
For example, this year InfraStripe has invested in new striping technology from Limntech Scientific, Inc. Limntech’s LifeMark® system is revolutionizing the century-old practice of painting highway stripes onto roadways.
Instead of stationing an operator at the back of the truck to target and apply paint while live traffic flows by, LifeMark® uses a new approach: It harnesses data from GPS and real-time, on-board cameras to target and apply paint.
The entire system can be operated by one crew member, and that operator is stationed in the driver’s seat of the LifeMark®-equipped vehicle. Even when systems need two operators, both of them work within the safety of the vehicle rather than working on the ground, alongside the truck, or from the rear of the truck.
This is possible because the unit’s spray nozzles are mounted on a moveable carriage. On-board and cloud-based computers control the carriage to apply paint at precisely the right time and place. This automation allows operators to focus on guiding the vehicle safely through traffic and keeping the spray heads supplied.
The system can alternate colors and patterns as needed while painting more than one line at a time. LifeMark® can also re-stripe existing lines. This process monitors the existing line pattern and simultaneously duplicates it, all at highway speeds, and all with no rear operator required.
We’re excited about LifeMark®, but it’s not the only information-age innovation on the horizon. We’re also looking forward to:
- Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything Technology (C-V2X): This system creates a communications link between approaching vehicles, highway equipment, and road workers’ vests. It can alert drivers and workers, instantly, if there’s a threat of an accident.
- Drones, robotics, and wearable technologies: Drones and robots can monitor work zones for safety threats. When they detect a threat, they can send alerts to workers on the ground who are wearing smartwatches or network-connected vests.
Road work, by its nature, will always be dangerous as long as the work puts people, with heavy equipment, in an unpredictable environment. But innovations like LifeMark®, C-V2X, and robotics are helping us rethink the future of infrastructure work. With help from technology the future can be a safer place for our employees who do the essential work of highway construction.
At InfraStripe, we’re proud to be part of rolling out that future right now.