You have been warned - Road surface stud to catch traffic offenders

[thub]

Road surface stud to catch traffic offenders British traffic technology firm Astucia has developed a road stud that can record vehicle images and transmit the data to a roadside computer to be relayed to a traffic control centre. Astucia hopes to have the studs on sale in the UK by the autumn, providing they are approved by the Highways Agency. The firm says they should prove a far cheaper method of traffic surveillance than the current speed cameras. The 128mm diameter, 90mm deep studs are solar powered and contain a miniature digital camera which can detect vehicle speed and direction prior to activation of the camera. The lens protrudes 3-4mm above the road surface and can be configured to capture a wide-angle view of the traffic scene or images of individual vehicles. The camera can even record digits on a vehicle registration plate. Astucia said it is benefiting from state-of-the-art technology in radio communications, data transfer, miniaturisation and solar photovoltaic cells. The devices are currently being tried out in mainland Europe, south-east Asia and America. During these trials the studs are spaced at 200m intervals and can produce one image every two seconds. © PE Publishing 16 May 2001