Oxford High School Student Wins Regional Science Fair for Roundabout Safety Project

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Yoon Jang, a sophomore at Oxford High School in Mississippi, recently won first place at the Regional Science & Engineering Fair for a project called ORBIT - Optimized Roundabout Behavior via Intelligent Trajectory-mapping. The project focuses on improving traffic flow and safety at roundabouts, which can present challenges due to their design and lack of traditional traffic signals. ORBIT proposes a system that uses computer vision and predictive modeling to monitor and guide vehicles through these intersections.

Why it matters

Roundabouts are becoming increasingly common in cities like Oxford, but they can be confusing for drivers who are not familiar with navigating them. Jang's project aims to address this issue by developing an intelligent system to improve safety and efficiency at roundabouts, which could have broader applications in other cities dealing with similar traffic challenges.

The details

Jang's ORBIT system relies on the YOLO (You Only Look Once) artificial intelligence model to detect and track vehicles. Instead of tracking full vehicle shapes, the project focuses on tire positions to improve consistency across different vehicle types. The data collected is used to map common vehicle trajectories through the roundabout. Incoming vehicles are then compared in real-time to these predicted paths, allowing the system to activate embedded traffic signals to guide drivers.

• Yoon Jang recently earned First Place, or 'Best of Fair,' at the Regional Science & Engineering Fair on March 26.
• Jang's project has qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair, scheduled for May 9–15 in Phoenix, Arizona.

What’s next

Jang's project will advance to the state competition on April 9, and if successful there, will qualify for the International Science and Engineering Fair in May.