NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Virginia Tech researchers tested new technology aimed at improving work zone safety in Norfolk on Monday.
The technology is an autonomous truck-mounted attenuator, which is used to protect roadway workers exposed to traffic by absorbing the energy of a crash from errant vehicles, according to Virginia Tech.
While regular attenuators keep the workers safe, the driver is still at risk, so an autonomous system would ensure everyone is protected. VDOT has worked with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and DeAngelo Contracting Services to develop the new technology.
Monday's field test happened on Interstate 564 in the Runway Tunnel at Naval Station Norfolk, a spokesperson for VDOT said. According to Virginia Tech, the autonomous attenuator uses GPS to stay on a designated path, but because tunnels can interfere with signals, it has vision-based autonomous controls.
The autonomous attenuator is one of several tools VDOT is researching to improve work zone safety. The department has also field-tested a wearable smart vest and a work zone builder application, according to Virginia Tech.