We’ve been working vigorously at developing an advanced adaptive traffic control system since the beginning of Rhythm Engineering. When developing In|Sync in 2005, Rhythm Engineering used creative approaches and technologies new to the transportation engineering industry. Instead of developing incremental improvements to existing traffic control tools and methods, we imagined the best possible traffic control tool and went from there.
Our exploration led us to the human brain, or rather, the brain of a well-informed traffic engineer. Once we understood that no existing machine or method matches the analytical, reasoning and observational abilities of a traffic engineer, we set out to build one. We challenged ourselves by asking, “How would a traffic engineer control a signal if he/she were standing at each intersection?” We then built a solution that comes as close as possible to emulating that decision process and its benefits.
Emulating a well-informed traffic engineer at each intersection means In|Sync must detect demand in real-time, be able to make immediate adjustments in signalization, not be constrained by “mechanical” thinking and be aware of upstream and downstream traffic conditions. In other words, In|Sync at each signal must know the actual traffic conditions, have the power to make dynamic changes and appreciate what conditions will exist in the next few minutes.
This is a substantial departure from other traffic management systems. Nearly all traffic control systems today use digital hardware but remain constrained by analog thinking such as common cycle lengths, set sequences, fixed offsets and standardized allotment of green time, or splits. The In|Sync Processor is instead a modern state machine, meaning it can dynamically choose which phases to serve and instantly adjust and coordinate service and green time.
By adapting to actual traffic demand, In|Sync truly is superior to predetermined signal timing plans that, at best, estimate traffic demand based on a small historical sampling and generalize those results across years of traffic signalization. In|Sync’s ability to constantly see and flexibly serve actual demand in the best way possible is what enables it to produce such astounding before-and-after results. Regardless of your traffic flow, time of day or demand, In|Sync responds specifically to your intersection’s needs.
View In|Sync case studies and learn more about the advancements adaptive traffic control brings to intersections and communities by visiting our Case Studies page.