Detection and removal of objects on motorways and roadside

ASECAP is the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures across 18 member countries representing 125 companies employing more than 44,000 direct jobs and 200,000 indirect jobs. They operate, maintain and manage a network of more than 81,000 km with a long-term vision: to ensure the highest quality standards, to make road infrastructure safe with a target of zero fatalities and to move towards net zero carbon emissions. All based on a user-payer principle providing sustainable financing.

Tyres, transport belts, household appliances, ski equipment and much more, are lost regularly on motorways: objects like these are very dangerous obstacles in the middle of the motorway. They cause damage and force vehicles to make reckless evasive manoeuvres. To prevent fatal consequences, employees of motorway operators throughout Europe remove all these objects as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, however, not all drivers are able to avoid the obstacle in time, collide with the obstacles and damage their vehicles. To avoid this as far as possible, lost objects must be detected and removed as quickly as possible. But it is not only large and bulky objects directly on the carriageway that are a safety problem. Carelessly discarded rubbish can also become a hazard. Objects whirled up by the wind can frighten drivers and cause them to make dangerous manoeuvres. These objects should therefore also be removed as quickly as possible.

Currently the process of removing these objects follows these steps:
1) Objects as described above are primarily detected by private and professional drivers, police forces and motorway operator employees. Drivers often call the police or motorway operators' call centers which forward the information to the person in charge to take action.

2) The employees direct the road patrol vehicle to the location of the obstacle. They utilise a signaling system that informs oncoming drivers that the lane is closed. One lane has to be shut down for a short period of time. The employees get out of the road patrol vehicle, supervising the traffic and manually remove the object from the motorway as fast as possible. This poses a high safety risk to the road workers, as oncoming traffic may overlook the signals and crash into the service crew or vehicle.

3) Adding to the dangerous situation, the lost objects may be bulky and heavy (Sofas, ladders, refrigerators ...), making removing them a difficult task.

The other problem is smaller pieces of trash (cans, paper, pieces of larger objects), that are scattered on the rideside of the motorway. Removing these objects requires workers who have to leave their vehicles and work on or close to the motorway, with the constant danger of accidents due to drivers not noticing warning signs. It is also a tedious, exhausting and demotivating job.

The solutions we are looking for can be either for removing bulky objects directly from the motorway or products, services and ideas to remove trash from the roadside – they do not have to solve both problems at once. If you have solutions for specific sizes or weight of obstacles, we still would like to hear from you.

On the Austrian highway network, our workers are called to attend 3,000 cases per year to remove larger objects from the motorway. On our network of 2,300 km of motorway we collect about 2,000 tons of trash each year (including paper, plastic, glas and aluminium packaging, as well as organic waste) only on or next to the highways near the roadside or middle barrier.

Following items make up the majority of lost objects on our roads:
1) ~25% are tyres or parts of tyres (e.g. wheel rims, tyres, spare tyres, casings, ...)
2) <10 % each:

• packaging and parts of packaging materials
  (e.g. belts, nets, films, ropes, mats, protective covers, sacks, wooden pallets),
• plastic parts (canisters, disposable containers, …),
• metal parts (e.g. tools, car parts, …),
• wooden parts (e.g. wooden pallets, transport boxes,…),
• rocks/mixed material (e.g. rocks, gravel, chippings, soil, asphalt, concrete, construction waste),
• dead animals

What innovative solutions can be employed to help detect and remove large objects lost on the motorway or clean up trash from the roadside?

We are looking for technical solutions that significantly reduce the risks for our workers: Reduction in the number of deployments of employees on the motorway. Quick identification and disposal of objects that should not be on the motorway. Ideally, the mainainance vehicles do not have to stop and the workers do not have to leave the vehicle.

With the help of your technical solution, objects on or close to the motorway lane can be removed quickly and easily. Whether it's a tip truck idea, robotic arm, pick-up device, plowing truck, a suction system, drone or something completely different is open to you.
The submitted solution can also cover only partial aspects. We are looking forward to discussing potential solutions.

Potential solutions are not limited to the vehicles currently in use. The vehicle fleet is subject to continuous change anyway. We also would like to use this challenge to understand what framework needs to be created for a solution to work. Electronic vehicles and other alternatively fueled vehicles should also be considered.

Ideally, the solutions can be implemented into the existing fleet. In Europe, the standard road patrol vehicle weights less than 3.5 tons.

Take a chance to present your innovative solutions within the framework of this market investigation and show potentials on how you can help the ASECAP solve this problem around objects and trash removal from the roadside of the motorways.

1) Click the button “SUBMIT SOLUTIONS“

2) Post the description of your existing solution or approach to a solution until September 9th 2024. The focus of the description should match the evaluation criteria. Convince the jury with use cases and references.

3) Help with project planning that is in line with the market: Communicate your ideas regarding the course of a project (wishes, notes to the project managers).

4) A summary of innovation aspects and the USP.

5) Give us a rough price estimate for your solution or the necessary development of such a solution.

6) Any confidential information, e.g. on pricing (only visible to the jury and the moderation team).

7) Add a cover picture on the Challenge page.

Optional: Add a pdf file. The file should complement the description but not replace it! Use it e.g. for infographics or brochures.

Please keep it short. Do not exceed 4-5 pages (A4) or ten power point slides for your description. You do NOT need to produce or provide detailed technical concepts or other documents for the challenge. Ideally adress the evaluation criteria.