When I decided not to seek re-election to the Norfolk City Council last year, I thought long and hard about what my next adventure would be.

I wanted to continue to solve problems and make our community better. I wanted to utilize my knowledge of local government. I wanted to use fast-advancing technology to help do more, less expensively and more quickly. And, I wanted to do something that involved my husband so we could spend more time together. 

Thus, after many weekends talking shop with Mike, and coffee meetings with friends and advisors at Cafe Stella, the concept of Oculus Rail was born!

Our new company addresses a concern I often heard from constituents: how do we address those darn (and worse!) blocked rail crossings?!

After a year of developing the technology with our great partner Port Solution Integrators  (Portsmouth-based) and the sensor housing with William Taylor (former Norfolk resident and wicked smart product designer!); working with my fellow elected officials and local government leaders who are most impacted by this problem in the 757 to identify and test bed 40 sensor locations; and, creating all that there is to starting a new company with the most amazing Chief of Staff Lucy Hall and marketing expert Shannon Bowman, we did it.

We’ve officially launched OculusRail! Our AI-sensor technology gives cities real-time rail crossing data through our solar-powered, wireless sensor that is located in the public right-of-way (read: no RR permission needed, no costly engineering study to provide power or telecommunications to the sensor) with a low-cost annual data subscription for municipalities. And, for every crossing a city subscribes to, we provide that data for free to all motorists via our Oculus Rail app, where you can set up notifications for specific crossings to alert you of blockages and delays (and when it is cleared!).

Check it out and let me know your thoughts. We are still in early days and will continue to advance our technology. But, I think this is a game changer for anyone who lives or works near congested rail crossings!

Andria McClellan, Founder & CEO