Smiling Radar

Five final year students in the “College of Information Technology” at “UAE University” designed a device for measuring the speed of vehicles on the roads and called it the "Smiling radar".

The project is designed not show any signal, if the driver of the vehicle exceeds the speed limit, while the light panel shows a smiling face in case the driver abides to the speed limit or less.

The "Smiling Radar" is part of the student’s graduation project, who expressed their sincere thanks the “Abu Dhabi Police” for their cooperation to the success of the project, which entered trial operational phase to incite drivers driving below the speed threshold.

“Reem Al Qamzi”, a student involved in the radar design, said that the device is based on the idea of positive stimulus to vehicle drivers, if they commit and abide by the specified speed limits on the roads; it consists of a computer, a camera and a light panel.

The student “Fatima Al Muhairi” noted that she and her fellow participants in the project started using the "Smiling Radar" initially on the campus buses that transport students between colleges where the device has proved highly as a concept that the positive impact of a smiling face has on the drivers.

The student “Reem Saeed Al Ahbabi”, who participated in the project, said that the device consists of a light panel connected to the camera, which is connected to a computer. The camera captures the image and determines the speed of the car in the vicinity.

The student “Alreem Rashed Al Kaabi” said that she and her colleagues are working on some minor modifications in light of the results of its operation, with the support and patronage of “Abu Dhabi Police” which provided them with the light panel, technical advice and some statistics on accidents on the school streets where the project was tested.

In the same context, the student “Muna Al Kaabi” explained that the “Smiling Radar” was completed in four months, and is designed specifically to work on the schools street of “Al Ain” city. She also added that her colleagues are making some adjustments in light of the results of the trial run related to the optimal site for the light panel and the camera to be installed on the road.