Kistler and RTDT Laboratories AG Supply Road Monitoring System to India

(CONNECT) Kistler from Winterthur and RTDT Laboratories AG, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), have developed an end-to-end measurement system to assess the condition of the road surface for the 594-kilometer Ganga Expressway project in Uttar Pradesh, India. The measurement system, which will be mounted on test vehicles, uses Kistler's proprietary, highly dynamic accelerometers and HF series laser height sensors to measure the road surface profile with high precision and spatial resolution, according to a statement.

Together, the HF laser height sensors, which use optical triangulation for non-contact height measurements, and the optoelectronic speed sensors enable synchronized recording of movement and position data for the entire road surface. The sensor data is immediately processed by edge computing modules that transmit the data volume to the Kistler cloud. The proprietary, cloud-based analysis from Technopark Zurich-based RTDT Technologies then evaluates the raw data using domain-specific algorithms, such as the International Roughness Index (IRI) or the ISO 2631 standard. The results are visualized by an interactive dashboard that maps the road quality per lane and 100 metres of road in real time.

The technology is used to record, track and document deviations in the quality of the road surface and vibration values. Monitoring during construction work enables those responsible to track surface wear, identify problems at an early stage and plan preventive maintenance measures.

In the long term, the aim is to reduce costs, maintain safety standards and improve ride quality once the project is complete. In future, the Swiss end-to-end sensor solution is to be used on other Indian highways, Kistler reports. ce/yes