PART II: Automatic highway cone placers prevent injuries

Everything from a remote control front-end loader to an automatic cone placer are being studied by the AHMCT at UCDavis in conjunction with Caltrans. Part II deals with automatic cone placers.

Despite the many safety devices and procedures that have been developed to protect road construction workers, accidents and fatalities continue.

Part I of this series dealt with remote control heavy equipment being developed at the Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Research Center (AHMCT) at the University of California/Davis in conjunction with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

Part II looks at an automated highway cone placement and retrieval vehicle that introduces a safe and efficient method of placing and retrieving highway cones during roadway lane closures.

The vehicle automatically lays down cones at regular intervals, and later picks them up again. A single operator can now safely and quickly open and close busy lanes during construction or maintenance.

Safety of highway workers in both public and private road maintenance organizations is the justification for this fleet addition.

Numerous injury claims relate to manual cone laying
In 1990, the State of California paid out $36,000 in injury claims related to manual cone laying. This increased almost 10 times in four years to $321,000 in 1994. Injury claims can also justify the "Cone Shooter," according to an AHMCT report.

Developed for Caltrans by the AHMCT, this vehicle is now being considered for commercialization by Unmanned Solutions, Inc., of Fremont, CA.

For more information, contact ahmct@ucdavis.edu or call 530-752-5981.

Editor's note: Part III will feature information about a teleoperated Hazmat vehicle. Watch for it on this site.

Edited by Joyce Everhart
Managing Editor, Public Works Onlnine
Source: Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Research Center, and CALTRANS