Highway maintenance is a relatively slow, labor-intensive process,but UC Davis researchers and the California Department of Transportation are developing robotic equipment to help speed things up. In a product-oriented session, UC Davis mechanical engineering professor Steven Velinsky will preview a prototype crack-sealing machine. According to Caltrans, a typical sealing operation involves a large crew that covers between one and two lane-miles per day -- a slow and tedious operation. Velinsky and his colleagues have designed a device that automatically "sees" and evaluates pavement cracks and, in turn, directs a robotic arm that prepares and seals cracks. The crack-sealing machine is part of an innovative automated highway maintenance technology program that also includes high-tech equipment designed to paint stripes, glue raised pavement markers, retrieve litter bags, irrigate and maintain roadside landscaping, and respond to hazardous materials spills. In addition to faster repairs, the equipment is expected to make such jobs safer with higher quality results. Velinsky will discuss his project during sesson No. 211 at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Sheraton Washington Hotel.