Skip to main content

Topcon to smoothen roads with SmoothRide system

Topcon Positioning has developed a sophisticated package that can help deliver better road surface quality. The firm’s latest SmoothRide data collection package is said to make the mapping of road conditions easier and more efficient. The new RD-M1 Collect 2.0 package has an improved interface and a new graphical interface status bar that indicates the optimum speed for collecting road information based on the project requirements.
February 28, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
342 Topcon Positioning has developed a sophisticated package that can help deliver better road surface quality. The firm’s latest SmoothRide data collection package is said to make the mapping of road conditions easier and more efficient. The new RD-M1 Collect 2.0 package has an improved interface and a new graphical interface status bar that indicates the optimum speed for collecting road information based on the project requirements.


The system provides a steady flow of information about the road surface as the lidar unit scans the whole width of the roadway continuously. The digital design model that is then generated is far more accurate as a result.

Topcon claims that the RD-M1 Collect 2.0 is designed to simplify setup and automatically detect the position of the sensor during data collection. By gathering data at a higher speed, the unit can deliver higher productivity while also delivering better results. The system has a new Memos tool that allows operators to places messages onto the map, while collecting data that also can be made visible in the processing software. This allows specific site conditions to be noted for future reference. Also new is the Manage Runs tool, which means the system can be used without having to open Windows Explorer. Operators can copy data onto a USB drive, delete the information from the hard drive, while the RD-M1 Collect 2.0 Plan Route feature allows for the import of kml files. By using the latest map downloader tool, machine operators can gain access to map details while collecting data, but without the need for an internet connection.

The firm says that using the system for scanning can create a high density point cloud, which the software can then simplify and use to generate a highly accurate digital terrain model. From that the user can develop a new project design, which can then be loaded onto construction equipment for machine guidance purposes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Machine control innovations
    February 15, 2012
    THE RECENT CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibition has seen the launch of a wealth of new machine control technologies - Mike Woof reports A fast pace of technological development in the machine control sector is seeing new innovations come to market at regular intervals. The developments remain focussed on the three main technology suppliers to this market, Leica Geosystems, Topcon and Trimble, offereng a combination of systems using machine control based on GPS, total station, sonic units and industrial inertial gu
  • Brisbane’s Airport: Innovative Management of One of the World’s Busiest Runways
    June 26, 2014
    When it comes to runways, there are few busier then Brisbane’s main runway. Servicing both domestic and international travel, with over 200,000 movements per year, operating without a curfew Brisbane’s main runway is the busiest in Australia. For maintenance, crews only have a limited period of time to determine the pavement condition, normally during the night, making the detection of pavement faults difficult. To resolve this issue, a new high speed pavement scanner was used to rapidly survey the pavem
  • Concrete paving advance in the market
    December 9, 2022
    New concrete paving technology is now coming to market from Wirtgen, with the firm broadening its product range with new and improved models now available
  • Innovative new soil compactors
    January 18, 2023
    Major manufacturers are introducing sophisticated new single drum rollers for the soil compaction sector