Hong Kong based smart city tech developer STAR Systems International (SSI) has launched Vespira, a curved antenna designed for congestion pricing, road usage charging, and traffic monitoring using passive radio frequency transponders.

Vespira has a tuneable phased array down-tilt design to provide a controlled and angled radiation pattern. This feature allows Vespira to be mounted upright and flush to a utility pole, creating a read zone to cover up to two traffic lanes.

“Vespira integrates our years of expertise in antenna, electrical, and industrial designs,” said Dr. Alan Mak, Head of Antenna Engineering at SSI. “This high gain and wide beam antenna is optimised for applications using passive transponders. The novel curved housing design wraps around most street-side poles very naturally.  Besides its aesthetics, Vespira’s tuneable phased array down-tilt design allows it to effectively target and direct radio frequency energy while flush-mounted in an upright position.”

“Congestion and road usage pricing are critical applications in the evolvement of Smart Cities,” said Robert Karr, CEO of SSI. “Vespira is the industry’s first curb-side antenna specifically designed to address the needs of these applications. It is aesthetically pleasing, and it delivers exceptional performance in nearly all urban road layouts and environments.”