Roadway Animal Detection System (RADS)

RADAR was once relegated the realm of military technology and sci-fi movies, but today, it’s becoming increasingly prevalent in the automotive world for a whole pile of reasons.

These mainly include giving vehicles the ability to ‘see’ their surroundings– and more models than ever are being fitted with radar functionality that allows them to reverse more safely, automatically brake to avoid an accident, and even self-park. As the technology becomes less expensive and more accepted, these features are likely to become even more popular.

RADAR has numerous other applications on today’s roadways, too– even if not fitted to an automobile. For instance, intersections can now be fitted with RADAR sensors that help fine-tune the timing of pedestrian walk signals based on the flow and direction of nearby cars and people.

Slotted into the category of ‘Above Ground Detectors’, the advanced sensors are superior to the conventional ‘induction loop’, which is buried in the roads and only detects vehicles parked on top of it. Ultimately, Above Ground Detectors can tie into an intersection’s computer brain to make blending vehicular and human traffic both safer and more efficient.

A human being is likely to look both ways before crossing the road– though a wild animal isn’t. As such, in many Canadian locales, vehicle and animal crashes are an unfortunate part of life. Every year, they cost thousands in damage, leave countless animals dead, and can injure or kill hundreds of motorists.

Regardless of what you drive, hitting a full grown moose or bear is going to stop your road trip dead in its tracks. Given the large expanses of highway and challenging climate conditions we Canucks face, such an impact is a more likely event than most would care to think.

Putting radar to work to help protect motorists and wildlife alike, Scottsdale, Arizona-based ICx has created the Roadway Animal Detection System, or RADS. Now in the fine-tuning stage, the RADS system employs low-power radio frequency sensors in a line-of-sight configuration to detect animal life that may be entering the road. If a creature is detected, the system illuminates a corresponding warning sign to give drivers a heads up.

RADS can detect bear, moose, elk, deer and any other four-legged critter you’d rather not meet with your vehicle. Each sensor can ‘see’ a quarter mile, and large areas or a perimeter can be monitored by networking several sensors together. RADS can even cover curved roadways with additional sensors that ‘bend’ the detection beam into corners.

Best of all, RADS can even store vital information about animal crossings– including the date, time and size of the offending beast. This information can be made available to authorities, allowing changes to signage or roadway design based on the frequency of detection incidences.