The Need

Road departures remain a significant source of traffic accidents. Tools for limiting road departures are needed to reduce accidents and improve safe driving conditions.

The Technology

The Ohio State University researcher Dr. Chi-Chih Chen, along with a team of researchers, has developed a novel metal guardrail surrogate. The metal guardrail surrogate includes a main body that can be configured to be substantially the same size and shape as a main body of a metal guardrail. The main body can include a core, and a skin attached to the core. The core can be a non-metal core. The skin can be configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as the main body of the metal guardrail relative to one or more vehicle sensors.

Commercial Applications

• Road departure mitigation system testing
• Vehicle safety testing
• Roadside object collision testing

Benefits/Advantages

• Improved accuracy in road departure mitigation system testing
• Increased safety for drivers and passengers
• Reduced risk of vehicle rollover on grass