Maintaining Integrity, Performance and Safety of the Road Infrastructure through Autonomous Robotized Solutions and Modularization
A special issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 719
Special Issue Editor
Interests: infrastructure monitoring; mobile laser scanners; road safety; machine learning; unmanned aerial systems; image analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Road infrastructure plays a crucial role in facilitating both intra- and inter-country movement of people and goods, highlighting the importance of their effective management; yet, despite significant efforts to enhance road user safety, with 4% of accidents occurring in these areas, work zone safety remains a concern. Recognizing these critical aspects of road infrastructure in European social and economic development, the need to advance automation, robotics, and modularization in construction, upgrades, and maintenance has become clear.
InfraROB, a project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 initiative, aims to mitigate risks to construction workers and road users by leveraging automation and robotics to replace repetitive tasks and minimize exposure to live traffic and construction machinery. The primary objectives include enhancing worker safety, optimizing transport network availability, reducing the cost of repetitive tasks, and ensuring the safety of road users.
Focusing primarily on roadbeds and pavements, InfraROB targets the most critical elements of road infrastructure by developing autonomous systems for repaving, crack and pothole repair, and line marking, specifically tailored to asphalt pavements, which comprise 90% of Europe's paved roads. Additionally, collaborative robotized safety systems, including safety cones and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs), have been framed and will be deployed to enhance on-site safety through image analytics based on deep learning approaches.
Another innovation consists of the creation of multifunctional precast concrete elements that serve both as roadside safety barriers and road construction elements, enhancing modularization in road design and construction. Upgrades to traffic and maintenance management systems will facilitate the coordinated deployment of automated road maintenance robots, further improving operational safety.
This comprehensive approach seeks to optimize road infrastructure management, enhance worker safety, and ensure the uninterrupted flow of traffic, aligning with the goals of economic growth and sustainability outlined by the European Commission. Through collaborative efforts at the European level, the project aims to accelerate the adoption of automation, robotics, and modularization in road infrastructure management, thereby fostering safer and more efficient transportation networks across Europe.
Dr. Joaquín Martínez-Sánchez
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- road worker safety
- robotics and automation
- road maintenance efficiency
- artificial intelligence and deep learning
- innovative pavement maintenance models
- road users awareness
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