Smart Speed Bumps

Reported November 2009

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Speed bumps are made to slow drivers down … but a new, special speed bump does much more than reduce your speed.

Speed bump, speed hump, traffic calming device, or whatever you call it -- it's designed to slow down traffic. Now, driving over this speed bump may help your car's health. Doug Adams has developed a new smart speed bump that can detect damage to your car and tires.

"The smart speed bump is designed to tell you, tell the operator, if there are any faults, any defects in the wheel or the suspension in the vehicle,“ Doug Adams, Ph.D., mechanical engineer at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, told Ivanhoe.

They are things that could lead to problems later or could be problems now, including low tire pressure.

When a vehicle is driven over the new speed bump, two sensors inside the speed bump -- called accelerometers -- measure the vibrations created by the tires when rolling over the bump. A computer program compares these vibrations to a "perfect" vehicle’s vibrations to determine if there is damage to the car's suspension, which controls steering or which tire needs more air.

Engineers hope the device will lower maintenance costs by catching some problems ahead of time.

"We're also looking at trying to provide the consumer with this capability so they could have it in their driveway,“ Adams said.

It could compare to having a personal mechanic right at home. The smart speed bump costs about $1,500. Researchers are currently testing the device on military vehicles to detect damage before soldiers embark on long driving missions.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.-USA contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Douglas Adams, PhD
Purdue University
Lafayette, IN 47905
(765) 449-4249
deadams@purdue.edu

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(800) 843-2763 or (973) 882-1170
http://www.asme.org
infocentral@asme.org

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
IEEE
Pender McCarter
IEEE http://www.ieee.org
IEEE-USA http://www.ieeeusa.org
p.mccarter@ieee.org

A dangerous combination -- pregnant women and pesticides. Some commonly used bug and weed killers may be linked to birth defects. We'll tell you which months are the most dangerous for expecting moms

2.5 million people are affected by MS, but a new breakthrough drug is giving people the ability to walk and feel again

Public transportation saves 855 million gallons of gas each year. If you want to go green, but you don't want to wait forever for the next bus, there's a new free service that gets rid of the bus stop guesswork

The future is here. Scientists, car companies and the federal government are teaming up to reduce traffic congestion and dangerous driving conditions by creating cars that communicate with each other

This speed bump doesn't just slow you down; it could also save your life! Driving over it detects damage to cars and trucks and alerts drivers

Take away cracks, fill in holes and replace paint … damaged and priceless works of art are restored with light right before your eyes

Experience winds up to 115 miles per hour, without being blown to bits! We'll take you inside hurricane-force winds

Wind power is the fastest growing renewable energy in the United States. A tiny sensor could be the key to our power problems

In a life or death situation, every second counts. Now science is helping emergency crews get to the scene faster

This cop car is like no other. It's the world's first car built specifically to help catch criminals

When a thousandth of a second counts, understanding fluid dynamics is critical. We'll show you how Olympians and scientists are teaming up to win the gold

This orangutan has a unique, one-of-a-kind talent. She's taught herself to whistle! Watch this video … it's hysterical! We'll show you how Bonnie is helping scientists