One of the hallmarks of successful innovators is that they never stop innovating. Noted physicist William G. Pollard once said, “The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” This philosophy is evident at Wavetronix, where constant innovation is not just good business; it’s one of the core values upon which the company was founded.
“We aren’t content with the status quo,” says David Arnold, Wavetronix founder and CEO. “We will always be committed to the research and development of the best products, and so we will never stop innovating.”
This quest for excellence is one of the drivers behind the latest version of SmartSensor HD, the market-leading radar device for vehicle detection on freeways and arterials. Wavetronix has made several enhancements to the sensor’s hardware to improve accuracy; changes to the sensor’s management software improve the user experience and offer better data accessibility. All of these changes make HD easier to use and more reliable.
“SmartSensor HD has set a high standard for traffic vehicle detection, but we won’t stop there,” Arnold says. “We are always aiming to be better.”
Traffic detection is a vital part of effective transportation systems because intelligent traffic begins with accurate and reliable data. But the ITS industry is continuously evolving, and new applications to improve roadway safety and efficiency are being created at a rapid pace. These applications increase the demand for even more accurate data, and keeping up with that demand, while staying current with the laws, specifications and guidelines that shape the industry, requires not only a commitment to innovation but a willingness to work to be better.
“More precise data will lead to more effective systems and more efficient traffic management.”—Thomas Karlinsey, Wavetronix Director of Engineering Development
“Creating better solutions to meet these new requirements for data is an ongoing process,” says Ryan Lindsey, director of the Wavetronix product office. “Our goal is to create reliable products that are simple to use and more effective at solving difficult problems.”
In order to ensure that SmartSensor HD continues to set the standard for vehicle detection in an evolving marketplace, engineering teams at Wavetronix have created a new antenna array that promises greater speed accuracy. Originally, SmartSensor HD featured a three-antenna design in which one antenna transmitted and two antennas received the return signal. This generated the dual beam radar that enabled HD to report accurate speeds for individual vehicles. This innovation revolutionized non-intrusive radar vehicle detection and established HD as a viable replacement for loops.
The improved HD features two antennas: each antenna transmits and receives a signal; the distance between each radar beam has been doubled, enabling the sensor to determine individual vehicle speeds more precisely. “More precise data will lead to more effective systems and more efficient traffic management,” says Thomas Karlinsey, director of engineering development at Wavetronix. “For example, the improved antenna beams will increase detection accuracy at the farthest ranges even when vehicles are following closely.”
In addition to a new antenna design, Wavetronix engineers have also been busy upgrading the software used to configure and manage HD. The latest version of SmartSensor Manager HD features a graphical user interface that is simple to navigate, making an already quick configuration process even easier to perform.
“This version of the software has a new look and feel to it,” Ryan Lindsey says. “The interface’s intuitive design includes point and click operations that can be learned very quickly.”
"Wavetronix definitely has an eye on tomorrow”—Ryan Lindsey, Wavetronix Product Office Director
The new software also allows direct CSV and Excel data downloads, which will allow agencies to complete their own data analysis more efficiently. These changes, Lindsey explains, are market-driven. “Direct data downloads, and the way these capabilities have been reorganized, are in direct response to customer feedback,” Lindsey says.
Finally, the new software includes more accurate alignment tools, so aligning the sensor properly is easier now than ever. “HD’s configuration capability is a patented process that automatically determines lane positions by observing traffic flow in up to 22 lanes,” Lindsey says. “These new alignment tools ensure that the setup of the sensor will be consistent from location to location, even with different installers.”
This improved version of SmartSensor HD will be available worldwide in 2014. Moving forward, this version will be referred to as SmartSensor HD; the original HD sensor will now be called SmartSensor Legacy and will be available for a limited time. “The names are changing simply so that the product titles will be more consistent,” Lindsey says. “The improvements, though, reflect the commitment Wavetronix has made to the success of every project that utilizes SmartSensor HD.”
Still, when Wavetronix announced in fall of 2013 that it would be releasing an improved version of SmartSensor HD, the news took some in the ITS industry by surprise. Since its debut in 2006, SmartSensor HD has consistently outperformed competitive devices and has established itself as the market leader in side-fire radar vehicle detection. Third-party tests, conducted at locations around the world, have proven HD to be the most consistently accurate radar device; today, thousands of HD units are operating in a variety of ITS applications in more than 40 countries.
“Continual innovation is one of the foundational principles upon which the Wavetronix company culture is built,” Karlinsey says. “At Wavetronix, innovation might be influenced by industry trends and customer feedback, but it is really driven by a desire to always be on the leading edge of traffic detection technology.”
“Continual innovation is one of the foundational principles upon which …Wavetronix … is built”—Thomas Karlinsey, Wavetronix Director of Engineering Development
As a result, Wavetronix engineers are actively applying their expertise in radar, electronics, programming and networking into the creation of new products and the improvement of existing technologies.
“Wavetronix definitely has an eye on tomorrow,” Lindsey says. “One of our goals is to help determine what the next generation of traffic detection will look like. Innovations like SmartSensor HD have helped define what traffic detection is today, and as long as we keep innovating, then the best products we can create will continue to get better.”
