How the FHWA is Deploying Emerging Technologies

December 2011 / January 2012 By: Julie Zirlin Volume 9 Number 6

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Moving innovations from the research stage to a market-ready product can be a difficult process. Researchers may develop a technology into a late-stage prototype with a well-established proof of concept, but lack the funding for the final development and testing in a real-world setting.  Or, a manufacturer's performance claims for a new product may need to be independently verified before a public agency can justify using it.

Creating partnerships between industry and end users is a key component to move innovations closer to commercialization faster.  The Federal Highway Administration's Technology Partnerships Program, a component of the Highways for LIFE initiative, piloted two approaches accelerating the deployment of new and underused technologies that can be adapted to any federal agency’s R&D program. 

The Valley of Death plagues technology inventors in all industries.  Consistent funding to move innovations from idea to full maturity has not been readily available, causing many promising innovations to fall through the cracks of government research grants and commercialization.  Compared to the amount of transportation funds available for exploratory and applied research, relatively little funding is specifically focused on helping industry negotiate the Valley of Death.

The Technology Partnerships Program piloted two different approaches to accelerate the deployment of new technologies.  The first provides competitive grants to refine and demonstrate late-stage prototypes in partnership with highway agencies under  real-world conditions.  This approach fills a critical gap in the evolution of new innovations in two ways. First, it capitalizes on the ingenuity and creativity of the private sector by providing matching funds (normally 80 percent) at a crucial stage where the proof of concept has already been established.   Second, the  FHWA’s extensive network of contacts in the highway community enable it to act as a broker between the private sector and state and local governments by soliciting participation in demonstrating and evaluating the technologies.

Challenges to Technology Deployment
The first approach addresses several barriers to innovation deployment. A key barrier is aversion to change and risk-taking, particularly for organizations that face public scrutiny and accountability. The approach reduces risk by creating opportunities to demonstrate technologies on pilot projects.  The FHWA facilitates highway agencies and other stakeholders to participate in small-scale projects, helping potential users overcome some of the aversion to taking a risk on an unfamiliar technology or practice.
Involving potential users in the evaluation process also allows early identification and resolution of any problems, and provides useful feedback to the technology developer. It also gives potential users the hands-on experience with a technology, preparing them to fully embrace it when it is available in the market. Through the Technology Partnerships Program, technology transition becomes a repetitive process of development, implementation and acceptance. It becomes a dialogue and partnership between the creators and end users of new technologies that can result in more beneficial and user-ready products that enable agencies to better serve their ultimate customers.  In addition, these early users can become champions for advancing the deployment of the innovation.

Another barrier to innovation adoption is that the benefits of a technology may not be compelling to end users, or the innovation may not meet market needs. To address this barrier, a panel of technical experts reviews applications in the competitive process and ensures that selected technologies match current priorities and needs and offer a strong potential for a positive outcome.

In some cases, technology developers may not have the expertise to develop a robust methodology for evaluating their innovations. Through the program experts provide oversight of the evaluation methodology and ensure that the appropriate approach is used to obtain definitive test results. Finally, technologies that are ready for deployment may be unfamiliar to potential users who may not understand their benefits and advantages over current technologies. The program facilitates a range of opportunities for users to learn about new technologies such as demonstration showcases during which transportation stakeholders from throughout the country can observe the technologies in person.

Performance Evaluations
Significant obstacles keep new innovations from being widely accepted for deployment. For example, product performance cited by the manufacturer may need verification by a reliable third party before a public agency can accept it and spend tax dollars on it. To address these obstacles, the program piloted a second approach—product performance evaluations. The program focuses on accelerating the adoption of underutilized technologies through objective and robust scientific evaluation based on real-world applications. 

This approach addresses what many call the “chicken-and-egg dilemma.” Decision makers may be reluctant to try a new technology until it has been evaluated in service, but a new technology cannot be evaluated in service unless it is used.  The approach is designed to meet the need for credibility of the performance of the technology.  In some cases, a manufacturer may promote a new technology without substantive data that provides evidence of the benefits the manufacturer claims. Product performance the manufacturer cites may need to be independently verified before a public agency can accept it. If no national standards or specifications exist that pertain to a new product, it may need to go through multiple state reviews, which is time consuming and costly. Accelerated testing procedures simulating in-service performance may not be available for the product.

Similar to the first approach, the FHWA fosters partnerships between industry and highway agencies to have the technologies installed and demonstrated; but the agency contracts with an independent organization to evaluate the technologies’s safety performance and document the results.

Julie Zirlin is Highways for LIFE, Technology Partnerships Program Coordinator at the Federal Highway Administration.

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The Path from Prototype to Product
While every technology transition has common elements, the path that each technology takes from introduction to acceptance is technology specific.  A $200,000 Technology Partnerships Grant grant was given to Pine Instrument Company to develop the Aggregate Image Measurement System (AIMS2). The AIMS2 combines hardware that captures real-time digital images of paving material samples and proprietary software that analyzes aggregate characteristics that affect pavement quality. Research has shown a link between those characteristics and the structural integrity and durability of pavement systems. They can also affect the skid resistance of pavement surfaces and, consequently, road safety.
The project consisted of refinement of a prototype and an interlaboratory study to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of the methodology the technology uses.  Standard practice for conducting an interlab study requires a minimum of eight labs. The Highway Administraton acted as a broker between the company and potential users to solicit participation. As a result, the number of labs included in the study quadrupled the minimum requirements—32 university, commercial and highway agency laboratories evaluated the reproducibility of the AIMS procedures.
One result was a more robust data set, enabling evaluators to come to strong conclusions on the repeatability and reproducibility of the test methodology. In addition, having many labs participate expanded the exposure of the technology to potential users. Trying the technology provided users with an opportunity to learn how to use it, resulting in a group of transportation professionals with hands-on experience and an understanding of the benefits of the technology. The study resulted in the development of the American Association of State Transportation Officials approved provisional standards. This is an important outcome, putting the AIMS2 in a good position for eventual widespread adoption at transportation departments. Highway agencies rely on the association’s  specifications, test protocols, and guidelines in planning, constructing and maintaining their highway systems, and are more likely to use technologies for which standards exist.