| https://telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telstarlogistics/2007/0... > Developed by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, the Advanced Rotary Plow (ARP) uses a network of magnets embedded along the roadway to guide the massive snow-spewing machine along the Interstate in zero-visibility conditions -- like a blinded pilot flying on instruments. Meanwhile, an onboard array of sensors sniffs out obstacles -- such as abandoned cars, hungry cows, napping yetis, or whatever -- that may lie hidden beneath the deep snows. https://path.berkeley.edu/development-advanced-rotary-plow-a... https://path.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/development_of... (pdf) The PDF has a complete breakdown of how it works (and I mean really complete - like "here's all the gates in the magnetometers") You can see some of the interface in https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/janfeb-2001/safe-plowi... > This ASP Human-Machine Interface is mounted on the windshield. Some of the worst visibility conditions on the planet can be overcome with the aid of the ASP cab-mounted display, which receives its data from the plow's collision-warning system. Radar sensing assists human sight to find the road and obstacles that may be in the way of the plow. --- Late addition... https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/901/20031... has a better view of the interface in figure 2.2 The MN version is GPS based while the CA version was magnet based. > California suffers from extremely wet and heavy snowfalls in their mountainous terrain. Snowfalls of 4 to 5 feet during a single storm are not uncommon. This wet, heavy snow forces snowplows to operate at relatively low speeds. Because of these conditions and the previous experience the California team (CalTrans, University of California at Davis, and the University of California at Berkeley’s PATH program) has with magnetic based vehicle guidance, the California team focused on the application of magnetic vehicle guidance to this snow removal problem. In addition to the application of the magnetic technology, the California team developed driver displays designed to convey information provided by the magnetic lane guidance system to the driver. > In contrast to California, issues with snow removal in Minnesota arise because of high winds which can blow light, dry snow at high rates across vast stretches of prairie. This blown snow can create significant drifts which must be continuously cleared in order to keep roads open. Under these conditions, snowplow operations are required to run at relatively high speeds to avoid road closures because of drifting. Because of these weather and geographic conditions, the Minnesota team focused on DGPS based solutions to this particular snow removal problem. The Minnesota team also developed driver displays designed specifically to convey lane keeping and collision avoidance information provided by the on-board systems. |