Arkane Works №04 · Archived Record

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Wrong-Way Prevention

My 2024 mechanical engineering capstone at ASU: a mechanical countermeasure for wrong-way driving — an active speed hump with spring-actuated, depressible stainless-steel ramps that read as a jolt to a wrong-way vehicle and pass benignly under correct traffic. Within the seven-member team I owned the electrical subsystem end to end: detection, control logic, and alerting. Built within a $700 budget; final cost roughly $400.

Load Capacity1000 lbf
FEA Safety Factor2.5–3.3
False Detections< 1%
ControllerArduino Uno R3
Mechanical Design.02

The hump uses pointed, hinged ramp plates in stainless steel with shoulder bolts for durability, achieving a 1000 lbf load capacity with controlled vertical displacement under vehicle weight. ANSYS FEA validated the structure at safety factors of 2.5–3.3 under maximum design loads. The prototype evolved from a plywood mock-up to a steel build, with springs and rollers added for actuation life.

Detection Electronics.03

Direction sensing uses contact-switch sequencing beneath the plates — aluminum-foil switches chosen deliberately for cost and weather tolerance — wired to an Arduino Uno R3 that discriminates approach direction from differential ramp-depression timing and drives LED alerts. The circuit runs at 5 V / 20 mA and was designed for reliability outdoors rather than elegance on a bench.

Testing.04

Live low-speed demonstrations validated both halves of the system: reliable ramp actuation with an unmistakable jolt in the wrong-way direction, and direction discrimination with under 1% false detections across passes — with no vehicle damage. FEA predictions were correlated against test outcomes; high-speed fatigue testing is the known next step the archive leaves open.

Credits & References.05

Team

Sultan Al Ali, Eric Baylon, Aleily Partida, Animesh Rajvanshi, Rachel Thomas, Amie Trescott

References