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RBS
Road Beacon System
The new global road sign paradigm
presentation to industry and investors
2011
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Agenda
1. Introduction
2. RBS: a revolutionary concept
3. Project history and current status
4. The Technology
5. The Market
6. The Challenge
7. The Opportunity
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1. Introduction
Who we are
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1. Introduction
• Armengol Torres
armengol@intelligentconsulting.net
Intelligent Signage for an
Inventor, entrepreneur, concept developer. increasingly complex
environment…
• Road Beacon System [RBS]
Is an entrepreneurs project in development phase, looking for the support of
industry and investment.
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1. Introduction
• Based in Barcelona, SPAIN, founded a
startup company developing AmI
oriented solutions
• Applications oriented to road safety,
indoor positioning (RTLS), work safety,
early forest fire alerts, blinds guiding,…
• Won local, regional, an Spanish public
funding and recognition for its projects
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1. Introduction
Some featured projects:
• Firemen of Barcelona:
Positioning and guiding system for
underground fire supporting services
- All control from outside safe vehicle
- Knowing were is everyone and how well
- Individual air bottle monitoring
- Dead-man alert
- Get out alerts
- Gas leakage detection
- Local temperatures plotting
- Every thing audited. Twin backup
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1. Introduction
Some featured projects:
• High risk industry:
Positioning and alert system for high risk
workers in hostile environments
- All control from surveillance site
- Knowing were is everyone and how well
- Panic button
- Dead-man alert
- Every thing audited. Backup
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2. RBS: a revolutionary concept
Why RBS is the best choice for
deploying the onboard road sign paradigm
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Road Signs history 120 BC: All roads led to Rome
Mile stones were used on a regular distance from each other. On the poles
was indicated how far one was from Rome. After the collapse of the Roman
Empire this system was maintained, the poles were decorated and
contained more and more information. Fe. how much had to paid to use
road, how far it was to the next city, etc..
1908 and then: Colors, shapes, images and text
Organizations for tourism were active in road sign placement proposing
direction signs, but also warning signs. At the first International Road
Congress (1908, Paris) several countries showed proposals as to how the
traveler could be guided and warned. It became clear there and then that it
would become of utmost importance to come to a common system.
Many national and international congresses on this subject followed and
gradually a consequent European system of direction signs, warning signs
do- and -don't- signs were agreed upon. First the discussion was about
clarity of shape and meaning, later about reflectivity and pure form.
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Road Signs history 1868: The traffic light
On December 10, 1868, the first traffic lights were installed outside the
Houses of Parliament in London. They resembled railway signals of the
time, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for night use.
The modern electric traffic light is an American invention. As early as
1912, Salt Lake City policeman Lester Wire set up the first red-green electric
traffic lights. The first three-color traffic lights were introduced in New York
and Detroit in 1920.
The first interconnected traffic signal system could be seen in Salt Lake
City, Utah in 1917, with six connected intersections controlled
simultaneously from a manual switch. Automatic control of interconnected
traffic lights was introduced March 1922 in Houston, Texas.
The first Automatic experimental traffic lights in England were deployed in
Wolverhampton in 1927.
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Road Signs are history 20th Century: Road signs have reached their limits
- So many to recognise and to remember
- Many to see at the same time
- Or even not enough time to get one
- Others can be confusing...
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Road Signs are history 20th Century: Road signs have reached their limits
- Completely useless if they can not be seen by
snow, ice, trees, rain, fog, glare...
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Road Signs are history 20th Century: Road signs have reached their limits
- Also useless when some like to get them for other uses...
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Road Signs are history 20th Century: Road signs have reached their limits
- Globalization demands also an update on road signs
- Can we read it all ?
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Road Signs are history 20th Century: Human error and risk-taking the main
causes of road traffic accidents
 94% of accidents caused by drivers distraction, high speed, or
driver inexperience
 1.2 Million people die every year (+50M inj.) by this cause
 Can reach a cost of 2% of GNP
 Black spots concentrate about 50% of accidents
 Being well alerted is a key issue in preventing road traffic
accidents
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Road Signs new history 21st Century: the Road Beacon System changes paradigm
- New road sign paradigm based on use of wireless
roadbeacons buried on the road and OBU
- Improving effectiveness of current traffic signs
- Simple, intelligent, affordable, rugged
- Invisible, vandal proof, harmless signs
- A future broad of road, fleets, and pedestrian applications
- An alternative non satellite based positioning system
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RBS Approach Every territory has so much to
tell, besides its coordinates
Signaling Messages that only have meaning
for a specific user, on a particular
site, and for that precise moment !
Personal
Messages that can alert with
sounds, voice, and vibrations on the
best possible environment: inside
HMI your car
Opportune alerts and
related information
Universal
Common and global regulations for all
readers, applications, users, cultures,
and languages
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RBS Approach
• A means of alerting risk prompting for the appropriate reactions
• A means for precise geo-positioning
• Universal use for vehicles, cycles and pedestrians
• Opportune notices in time and context, always in the language of the user
• Featuring:
– Transitory and fixed warnings (complementing standard road signs, black spots)
– Positioning (topographical signalling, geonavigation, tourism, services…)
– Identification, Auditing, Traceability (vehicle black box)
– Never need digital maps updating!
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RBS Approach
• Fixed (roadside), mobile (vehicle), and portable (pedestrian) use modalities
• Reliable in every area, open ceiling or not (unlike GPS)
• Not dependability on onboard digital maps, neither GNSS
• On board reader attractive for being financed by other interested parties
(insurance companies, etc.)
• Quite low per sign cost, very much less expensive than traditional signs
(deployment and maintenance)
• Based on reliable and proven technologies well known in road equipment
• System open for supporting new added value services
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RBS basic configuration
The vehicle with
Traffic Sign ID onboard RBS reader
x,y,z
coordinates
Other road
info
The road with buried
wireless road beacons
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RBS application example
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Co-pilot specific
information
On HUD main road traffic and
personalized warning signs
On Board Sign filtering by
choice, by driver or
On HUD secondary traffic signs by vehicle profiles
Actual speed measuring
and alert
Navigation with no satellite
disadvantages'...
Voice alert
messages
Black-box:
Optional vibrating alerts on recording latest
steering wheel and gas pedal signs
gathered, cockpit
sounds, speed, posit
Personalized messages ion, alert
for this user and for this beacons, etc.
vehicle (SmartCard)
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RBS urban scenario All roads led to Rome, around 120 BC
Mile
On board
readers
Public transport specific
Personal
e-Safety, Traffic signalling
readers
signs, Navigation and
Navigation and Information Positioning
for pedestrians & the
handicapped
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GPS vs RBS
GPS RBS instead…
Centralized system Decentralized system
One government has the (military) control Owner of the road is owner of its e-signs
Malfunction or terrorist attack could leave No malfunction nor attack could interrupt
global or many areas in black-out the whole neither main service
Limited use in high density, covered areas Highly efficient and precise in urban
(urban, in buildings) environments
Does not operate in closed environments Ideal in closed environments
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GPS vs RBS
GPS RBS instead…
Only provides time and position Provides direct information (the sign) and
information also its position
Always requires digital mapping and No digital mapping or updating required for
updating, or references to databases basic and timely information
Expensive to implement and to maintain. Inexpensive to implement and for the user
Expensive and difficult to update for
the final user
A system looking at the sky… A system with the feet on the ground…
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RBS main returns
Returns in Traffic Safety Returns in Public health & insurance
 Expected mortality and main accidents reduction of at  Savings in emergency and hospital
least 15% services, ICU, surgery, prosthesis, critical care
 Speed limits reduction rehabilitation,...
 Better black spots protection  Savings in labor and production losses, less
 Better law enforcement injured
 Better citizen driving mind, education and posture  Cheaper insurances, less indemnification costs
 Pay as You Drive models
Traffic accidents cost is about 14.5 billion €/year in Spain (2% GNP) - In Europe over 42.000 die/year, and 3.5 million are injured
Returns in Life Quality Returns in Transport
 Less wounded in traffic accidents  Better signaling at very low cost
 New services oriented to local and foreign tourism  Better fleet management and control
 New help and assisting services  Alternative road charging system
 Lesser environment impact  New traffic management applications
 Privacy respected  New emerging industry & services
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A future environment without traditional (ancient) road signs around...
„Virtual signs only shown when
appropriate and only to whom they
are addressed…‟
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3. Project history and
current status
From the initial idea to undergoing
tests and developments
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RBS Origin RoadBeacon was inspired from adapting security
& safety concepts from the air navigation industry
These concepts implemented towards a safer road
traffic, for personal navigation and positioning
applications
Using RFID technologies buried in the
ground, diversity and range of its applications
become nearly endless
The Road Beacon concept was born…
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3. Project history and current status
1. Concept validation
2. Patent filling. Patent granted
3. Startup foundation
4. First prototypes and road tests
5. National and EU R&D proposals
6. First application proposals
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3. Project history and current status
“ROBITS” Proposal: EU 6th FP - "Information Society Technologies”
e-Safety – Co-operative Systems for Road Transport - (ADAS)
• Telvent Tráfico y Transporte
• Robotiker
• Road Beacon
• Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de Galicia
• Alcatel Space
• TagMaster
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung
• Warsaw University of Technology
• University of Rome, La Sapienza
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3. Project history and current status
“CABINTEC” Project
Supported by the Spanish Ministry for Innovation and Science as a PSE
(Strategic and Singular Project)
• Universidad de Alcalá; Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; TECNUN
• Universidad de Valencia; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - INSIA
• Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Técnicas de Gipuzkoa (CEIT)
• Investigación en Seguridad y Factures Humanos ESM
• CTAG ; Applus+ IDIADA ; ALSA
• Lear Corporation Holding Spain (EEDS)
• LANDER Simulation & Training Solutions
• SIGNALETICS
• BIDEGI; SERNAUTO
• Fundación Instituto Tecnológico para la Seguridad del Automóvil (FITSA)
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“CABINTEC” Project

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“CABINTEC” (RBS Subproject)

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“CABINTEC” (RBS Subproject)

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“CABINTEC” (RBS Subproject)
Idiada: High speed test tracks

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4. The Technology
Wireless based road signing
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4. The Technology
• The roadbeacons: high speed RFID tags
• The OBU: RFID reader and antenna
• The HUD: best with
• The application: customised
• The ASIC: the key
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4. The Technology
On Board Unit (OBU)
“Powered by RBS”
Supporting equipment
“RBS certified”
RBS core ASIC
Roadbeacons
“RBS inside”
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5. The Market
Some application examples
Some actual proposals
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The RBS market
Tourism
e-Safety:
Multilingual information related with
Black-spots warning, speed control, law the exact situation, personal
enforcement, areas under repair, “black- navigation, interactive advertising,...
box”, pedestrian and cyclist protection,…
Value added services on the
road and urban areas Social applications and the
Fleet management and control, road Environment
charging, topographic information, e-
milestones and reference points, traffic Specific reference and information points for
regulation, intelligent parking, vehicle children, the elderly, blind people guiding. Natural
identification,… resources identification, weather alerts, visual impact
reduction,...
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Value chain proposition for
RBS applications & services

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RBS business model A major long term
business
On Board Unit (OBU) OEM and aftermarket A basic public free
service (e-signs) as
Costumer: Auto components manufacturers
killer application
Main customers are
public
Final user value added services administrations
Costumer: Integrators and service providers contracts’ and car
components
manufacturers
Road beacons “seeding” on main roads
Costumer: Public works administrations'
Road beacons “seeding” on municipal streets and sidewalks
Costumers: Bus service, Captive
fleets, Pedestrians, Tourists, Handicapped

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RBS business model: 3 branches value chain
RFID personal readers Integrators Service providers, Pedestrian
manufacturers Telcos Consumer
Core Auto components Car Vehicle driver
technology (OEM) manufacturers Consumer
RFID chips Traffic & sign Public
manufacturers providers Administrations

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RBS business model: 3 branches value chain
Long term, traffic sign RBS core Short term, niche
applications technology applications
Branch 3
Branch 1 Branch 2
RFID chips and
RFID chips Auto components personal readers
manufacturers (OEM) manufacturers
Integrators and
Service providers
Traffic & sign Car
providers manufacturers
Telcos
Public Vehicle driver
Pedestrian
Administrations Consumer
Consumer
Huge and Heterogeneous and
homogeneous market fragmented market

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Long term, traffic sign
applications
RBS business model: 1 of 3 branches value chain example
RBS core
RBS core ASIC technology
manufacturing
Buy core road beacon ASICs
(including license use)
RFID chips
manufacturers
RBS road beacons
manufacturing Buy ready to use
road beacons
Traffic & sign
providers
road beacons deployment
and maintenance
Contract road beacons
deployment
For Traffic
Public
For Pedestrians
For Military and Security Administrations

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Long term, traffic sign
applications
RBS business model: 2 of 3 branches value chain example
RBS core
RBS core ASIC technology
manufacturing
Buy core OBU ASICs
(including license use)
Auto components
(OEM)
RBS on board
unit (OBU)
manufacturing Buy on board units
Car
manufacturers Tech support and
certification
pre-installed RBS
vehicles Service providers
Buy car or aftermarket OBU
For personal cars
For corporate vehicles
Vehicle driver
For public and private Consumer
Fleets

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Short term, niche
applications
RBS business model: 3 of 3 branches value chain example
RBS core
RBS core ASIC technology
manufacturing Buy core RBS ASICs
(including license use)
RFID personal readers
manufacturers
RFID ready
mobile Buy std readers
phones, PDAs, Develop apps and services
MP3
Integrators
RBS niche
readers, software,
new applications
GPRS, WiFi
r-Signs, r-Positioning Service providers,
r- Guiding, r- Telcos Buy RFID ready readers
Emergency Contract road beacons deployment
r-Services… Buy communication traffic
Buy third party apps and services
Pedestrians
Indoor signage users
Intelligent buildings Pedestrian
Blind persons, Tourists Consumer
Municipal assets
management

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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Metropolitan bus fleet control
1.500 buses, 4 main bus garages
Objectives:
- Fleet control on garages
- Road safety
- Incident auditing
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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Complement of Metro safety alert
system
2 trains, 2 black spots, 12 rbeacons, 10
sensors
Objectives:
- Improving safety and signaling on black
spots
- Incident auditing
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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Metropolitan motorway
4 highways, 40 Km, 4 toll stations, …
Objectives:
- Emergency and Service fleet control
- Road safety
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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Caribbean highway + truck fleet
100 Km main highway (350 rbeacons)
1.000 trucks (1.000 OBUs)
Objectives:
- Auditing fleet using reference points
- Improving road safety
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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Metropolitan bus service control
system
6.500 buses, 10.000 bus stops, 60.000
furniture, 2.000.000 eur/year maintenance
expenses…
Objectives:
- To reduce 10-20% maintenance expense
- Fleet and inventory control
- Furniture surveillance, vandalism alert
- Incident control with bus stops and buses
- Road safety
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5. The Market
• Some actual RBS proposals:
• Spanish touristic city
Pilot blind guiding system
Objectives:
- Blind people indoor & outdoor guiding and alerting
- Tourist oriented applications
- Pedestrian road safety
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6. The Challenge
Being first, being best
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6. The Market 6. The Challenge
• Pros • Cons
• Potential market is huge: • Complex implementation
• Global Traffic signs & Road Safety • Chicken & Egg application
• Fleet management and control • Institutional support
• Positioning, as a complement to GNSS • Main agreements between car
manufacturers and other players
• Based on
robust, reliable, proven, and well • Company size
known technologies
• Being the first
• No competence (patented app.) • Pilots, pilots, pilots
• Very very low cost
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6. The Challenge
• Agreement examples
• Leading high end car manufacturer
• Leading RFID manufacturer
• Integrators, other developers
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6. The Challenge
• Others are trying…
• Siemens VDO Traffic Sign Recognition
• DaimlerChrysler
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7. The Opportunity
For the first leading the market
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7. The Opportunity
• An ad hoc startup
• EU brands and Patents
• Website, online campaigns, etc.
• The knowledge of knowing the what
and how
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7. The Opportunity
• Leading ITS forum at XING
• Active since 2005
• Active members: 620+
• Articles: 380+
• Discussion forums: 5
- ITS projects and ideas looking for partners & support
- ITS Events
- ITS News
- ITS reference links
- Old Events
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7. The Opportunity
• International Patent
• Patents granted on
– USA
– Germany
– UK
– France
– Spain
– Italy
– Ireland
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an Intelligent Transportation Systems [ITS] project by
Intelligent Consulting
Armengol Torres
CEO
T e l : +34 6 0 0 4 8 5 4 8 6
info@intelligentconsulting.net
www.intelligentconsulting.net
B a r c e l o n a - SPAIN
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