Purdue Unveils Low-Cost Runway Incursion Prevention Tech

SAFE-RWSL system uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and computer vision to activate runway lights in real time.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 04:08 PM ET

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A prototype camera module was installed as part of the SAFE-RWSL — or Simple, Affordable, Flexible and Expandable Runway Status Lights — system at the approach end of a runway at Purdue University Airport. [Credit: Purdue University photo/Luigi Dy]

Key Takeaways:

Purdue Polytechnic Institute has developed SAFE-RWSL, a solar-powered light system that uses ADS-B data and computer vision to automatically indicate runway status, aiming to prevent incursions.
This system is designed as a low-cost, easily integrated solution for airports of varying capacities, leveraging widely available ADS-B technology already mandated for aircraft.
Tested at Purdue University Airport, SAFE-RWSL accurately detected 94% of aircraft operations and is expected to effectively reduce runway incursion risks, especially in non-towered, no-traffic environments.

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Purdue Polytechnic Institute has unveiled a solar-powered, simplified light system that it says will automatically indicate runway status to pilots, pedestrians, and vehicle operators, thus helping them prevent runway incursions.

The system called Simple, Affordable, Flexible and Expandable Runway Status Lights—or SAFE-RWSL—uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and computer vision to activate runway lights in real time.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.