Award Data

Automated Passenger Counter (APC) has been used in the transit systems for automated passenger counting and reporting. These systems have suffered counting accuracy issues, particularly at high rider load points, and at end-of-line count reconciliation. It was found that APCs have limited use on rail vehicles due to very wide doors. It has also been a challenge for transit agencies to track the o ...

ZKxKZ with partners at UMass-Lowell Plastics Engineering Department and Voltek will develop low cost mini-roundabout technology based on a rapidly installable system of interlocking modules made from recycled plastic materials. Phase I will focus on material and process selection, along with modul configuration optimization, governed by design for low acquisition, installation and life cycle cost ...

dFuzion proposes the development of a comprehensive Ride Performance Assessment System (RPAS). RPAS leverages the investment and research already made by FRA in its sponsored portable ride quality meter. By extending the ride quality data acquistion framework to accept inputs from suspension displacement sensors, RPAS can correlate data from acceleration and displacement sensors with geospatial in ...

DZYNE Technologies proposes an application of state-of-the-art computer vision technology to construct the Passenger Analytics Advanced Sensing (PAAS) System. PAAS introduces a degree of algorithm intelligence to the problems of automated passenger counting and route determination in a manner that supports the use of existing sensors inside vehicles and within transportation centers. PAAS provides ...

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to develop a novel composite laminate that when applied to standard steel rails will regulate the maximum temperature reached, limiting expansion and buckling. During Phase I, PSI will work with QinetiQ North America to demonstrate the performance of PSI’s system in a simulated railroad environment. Testing will demonstrate the thermal properties of the laminate. ...

Motorcyclists face a unique set of challenges when operating on public streets and highways. In addition to hazards relevant to automobiles, motorcycle riders must remain vigilant for hazards that pose significant danger to motorcycles (e.g., uneven terrain, sand/gravel, potholes); however, there is currently no motorcycle-specific hazard tracking or alerting system available for riders. To addres ...

Locomotives weigh up to 240 ton each. -Rail cars can weigh flom 30 ton (empty) to 140 ton (loaded). Track construction and maintenance equipment, earthmoving plant and haul tiuaks can all weigh l0,s of tons each. When a 200-lb worker 'arguer;' with any of these equipment they lorse. Rail road and yard workers can, literally, be sunounded by these very large, heavy and potentially dangerous pieces ...

Braking Rate Monitoring and Warning System 3/9/2015 Driver inattention and inaction are a major cause for serious crashes. There is a need for a low cost auxiliary system to sense any rail vehicle approaching unsafely and alert drivers. The auxiliary system will provide some form of Human Machine Interface that may aggressively alert the train operator of potential safety problems and permit a r ...

Federal regulations require a seat belt assembly with a locking lap belt to be available in passenger seating positions to securely accommodate a child restraint system. More recently, federal regulations have been updated to improve the quality of the child restraint system and the mechanisms by which it is secured. However, there are restrictions on total weight capacities for new restraint syst ...

Benten Technologies proposes to develop a back-end schema-less, open source, cloud-based database with front-end browser-based, cross-platform JavaScript model library to support locomotive inspection data collection. TRAIN will allow for the logging of inspection data for all types of locomotives including steam, diesel, diesel-electric, and electric locomotives by railroad and locomotive manufac ...