Road accidents at blind turns claim countless lives yearly, but a team at NIT Rourkela has engineered a game-changing solution: a roadside guardian system costing merely 6,000 rupees. This low-cost marvel uses cameras and sensors to peer around corners, alerting drivers to hidden dangers before they strike.
Installed at hazardous bends, the setup vigilantly scans for vehicles from opposite directions. Computer vision tech discerns incoming traffic, gauges their proximity and velocity, and activates blaring sirens and flashing lights if a head-on clash looms. No internet dependency here—onboard mini-processors handle all computations locally for instantaneous warnings.
Ideal for India’s snaking mountain paths and cramped village lanes, the system shines where infrastructure lags. The research team, blending undergrads, PhDs, and professors, validated it through rigorous field trials on low-power hardware, proving scalability without breaking banks.
Beyond prevention, it doubles as an emergency beacon. Shock and location sensors detect crashes and dispatch alerts to first responders, speeding up aid. A custom monitoring dashboard even lets traffic control rooms oversee multiple sites remotely.
Published in a top international journal, this IoT-edge fusion innovation holds a patent and awaits broader adoption. As one researcher noted, ‘It’s not just tech; it’s a lifeline for remote roads.’ With government focus on smart highways intensifying, this could become standard, curbing the 20% of fatalities tied to blind curves.