A simple but extremely effective system (and one that no one had thought of before), which allows covering and uncovering highway signs in a few seconds, increasing the safety of workers and making temporary signage clearer for drivers. An invention, because that is what it is called, named Rollo and already installed on several highway sections throughout Italy as well as internationally recognized with a worldwide patent. It was developed, thanks to experience gained in the field, by an Italian company, Bio system, a business based in San Salvatore di Cogorno (Genoa), founded in 1991 and for 10 years committed to working on Italian highways, dealing with construction sites, emergencies, and maintenance.
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“Rollo – explains Mirco Grandi, technical director of Bio system and creator of the system – was not born in a technical office, but directly on the highway. It is the result of years spent at construction sites, observing real problems and looking for a concrete solution. Those who work every day on highways know the critical issues perfectly and know where it is really possible to innovate. This is proof that, even from a somewhat remote area, like the eastern Liguria, ideas capable of improving infrastructure safety throughout Italy can emerge.”
Not by chance, the device’s conception took shape, Grandi recounts, in 2022 “along the Ligurian A7 and A12 routes, where there is a need to reduce the exposure time of workers engaged in covering signs placed even four or five meters high during temporary construction sites. After a long phase of prototyping, field testing, and internal development, Rollo first obtained recognition as an invention patent in Italy and, subsequently, the European one, up to international registration through the World Intellectual Property Organization. Today the system is already installed on hundreds of signs along Ligurian highways and also adopted by several Italian highway sections, from Naples to Treviso, passing through Rome, Bologna, Florence, and Bari.”
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The main advantage, adds Grandi, “is safety: we drastically reduce the time during which workers remain exposed to traffic but also improve the understanding of signage by road users. A temporary sign must be immediately readable, leaving no room for doubts or interpretations. It is a detail that can make a difference.”
And it is, as mentioned, simplicity that represents one of Rollo’s strengths. “Once installed – concludes its creator – the device requires minimal maintenance, can be operated quickly even in emergency situations, and is accompanied by accessible instructions, via QR code, directly on the back of the sign. A project developed almost entirely in-house, with prototypes made through 3D printing and continuous stress tests, also involving local companies.”
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