Project Summary
HERON aims to develop an integrated automated system to perform maintenance and upgrading roadworks, such as sealing cracks, patching potholes, asphalt rejuvenation, autonomous replacement of CUD elements and painting markings, but also supporting the pre/post-intervention phase including visual inspections and dispensing and removing traffic cones in an automated and controlled manner. The HERON system consists of:
i) autonomous ground robotic vehicle that will be supported by autonomous drones to coordinate maintenance works and the pre-/post-intervention phase;
ii) various robotic equipment, including sensors and actuators (e.g., tools for cut ad fill, surface material placement and compaction, modular components installation, laser scanners for 3D mapping) placed on the main vehicle;
iii) sensing interface installed both to the robotic platform and to the Road Infrastructures (RI) to allow improved monitoring (situational awareness) of the structural, functional and RI’s and markings’ conditions;
iv) the control software that interconnects the sensing interface with the actuating robotic equipment;
v) Augmented Reality (AR) visualization tools that enable the robotic system to see in detail surface defects and markings under survey;
vi) Artificial Intelligence/AI-based toolkits that will act as the middleware of a twofold role for: a) optimally coordinating the road maintenance/upgrading workflows and b) intelligent processing of distributed data coming from the vehicle and the infrastructure sensors for safe operations and not disruption of other routine operations or traffic flows; and
vii) integrate all data in an enhanced visualization user interface supporting decisions and
viii) communication modules to allow for Vehicle-to-Infrastructure/-Everything (V2I/X) date exchange for predictive maintenance and increase users safety.
HERON aims to reduce fatal accidents, maintenance costs, traffic disruptions, thus increasing the network capacity and efficiency.


Concept
The (semi-) automated HERON system relying on improved intelligent control of a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) robotised vehicle, improved CV and AI/ML techniques combined with proper sensors, decision-making algorithms and AR components to perform corrective and preventive maintenance and upgrading of roadworks is considered an advanced solution, which pushes routine roadwork activities quite beyond the state-of-the-art. At the same time, by using advanced data coming from various sources (including V2I and aerial drone surveillance) and well-established methods (from existing know-how from research and industrial projects), the automated system will be able to provide some non-routine (emergency) maintenance operations when required. Towards that direction, HERON targets the development and prototype validation of an innovative, automated intelligent robotic platform for performing the above tasks safely, promptly, reliably and modularly.
Objectives
HERON targets the following Scientific and Technical Objectives (STOs):


Pilot 1
The pilot will be deployed in the A2 Motorway stretch maintained by the company (R2–CM42
stretch, coming from Madrid, and finishing in the limit between the provinces of Guadalajara and Soria, Spain), and
in the traffic control centre of the stretch located near the village of Torija The motorway is owned by the Spanish
National Road Authority and the section selected has a length of 77.5 km, The section has 4 lanes (2 per traffic
direction) and crosses a region with Continental-Mediterranean climate, with long and severe winters, long, dry
and hot summers and high heavy traffic levels, so pavement is exposed to severe requirements and maintenance
is crucial to preserve the optimum pavement conditions required. A2 is one of the main motorways in Spain,
connecting Madrid with Barcelona, it is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the CEF corridor.

Pilot 2
Transpolis is a proving ground of more than 80ha, which has been created by 5 entities among
which UGE and which has been opened officially in 2019. It is typically used to test autonomous vehicles in a secure
and controlled environment, also by assessing the V2I communication possibilities (several types of Road-Side-
Units- RSUs- and communication means) are already installed on site. It also is composed of several kilometers of
road and all reinforced concrete buildings. Many types of V2X and I2V (Infrastructure to Vehicle) communication
means are available, as well as camera monitoring, all of them will be used during the HERON activities.

Pilot 3
OLO has undertaken the traffic management and routine maintenance of the Elefsina-Korinthos-
Patra motorway (in the heart of the Greek highway networks), which has 202 km total length and includes more
than 25 km tunnels and a large number of bridges, culverts and ancillary structures. It includes corrective and
preventive maintenance both of civil works equipment and Early Equipment Management (EEM) of open road and
tunnels. OLO will provide a part of the motorway, where extensive tests of the automated vehicle can take place,
issuing the necessary permits in cooperation with the relevant Authorities (Public Service and Traffic Police) and
ensuring safety conditions both for the road users and the people working for the project. The area that will be
examined during the pilot program is the ELKO section, which is a dual carriageway with three lanes (3.5m width
left lane, 3.75m width middle and right lane) and emergency lane (varies from 2.5 to 3.5m) per direction with
concrete New Jersey safety barriers in the central axis of the motorway. Some major technical features of ELKO
section: ⁕ Total length: 64 km; ⁕ Interchanges (I/C): 12; ⁕ Bridges: 16; ⁕ Tunnels: 5 (total length of 4,473 km).
Deliverables Progress
Starting Date: 1st of June, 2021