IPN graduates and teachers create robotic cones to reduce traffic accidents

Graduates and professors from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Mexico have created a system of mobile, robotic traffic cones designed to enhance road safety and minimize accident risks for pedestrians, motorists, and maintenance workers on busy avenues and highways. The project was developed by mechatronic engineers José Manuel Sánchez Mendoza, Omar Uvaldo Piedra Ceballos, and Uziel Alejandro Mendoza Saldívar, who are alumni of the Zacatecas campus's Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering (UPIIZ), with guidance from professors Flabio Dario Mirelez Delgado, Ramón Jaramillo Martínez, and Rafael Reveles Martínez.

The system is intended to assist traffic authorities in preventing accidents and protecting maintenance workers, who are identified as one of the sectors with the highest risk of fatal incidents. According to the Public Health Report on Road Safety Situation-Mexico 2023-2024, 16,772 people died in road accidents in Mexico during 2023, translating to a rate of 12.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Zacatecas province records the highest mortality rate from traffic incidents nationwide.

Each robotic cone is equipped with strobe lights and independently controlled wheels, enabling them to move in straight lines, turn on their axis, and follow curved paths with precision. The units feature sensors to detect obstacles, a magnetometer for orientation, and a high-precision positioning system. Powered by lithium polymer batteries, the cones are remotely controlled via a smartphone interface. Operators can use this application to create lane blockades or protective perimeters, while the cones transmit real-time alerts about potential collision risks or accidental tilting.

This innovation employs RTK (Real Time Kinematics) technology, providing centimeter-level accuracy for location and ensuring compliance with the NOM-086-SCT2-2015 standard for installing protective devices in road work zones. The developers are currently pursuing intellectual property protection for the project. Once this process is complete, they plan to scale up the technology with support from the IPN, aiming to bring it to market or make it available to authorities responsible for road infrastructure.