A council in England has launched a new AI robot that will tackle the nation’s pothole problem.
The scourge of road users across the land, there are some one million potholes in the UK, and an average of six for every mile of council-controlled roads in England and Wales.
Along with the safety risk they pose to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, potholes also cost the taxpayer millions every year to repair.
In December, the government pledged an additional £200m to tackle the issue in 2023-24, but the Local Government Association estimates that the current repair backlog for potholes will cost some £14bn.
So, to try and tackle the issue, Hertfordshire County Council has turned to artificial intelligence (AI).
Tech company Robotiz3d has developed an autonomous robot alongside academics at the University of Liverpool, which successfully passed its first road test on March 6 this year, the RAC said.
The robot, named Autonomous Road Repair System (ARRES), uses state of the art imaging technology and software to recognise the characteristics of potholes and then automatically fill them in to keep out standing water.
This will then stop the holes getting worse and turning into fully-formed potholes, saving time and money in the long-term.
The council says the technology could “revolutionise the way Hertfordshire and the rest of the world deal with potholes and issues with road surfaces in the future.”
The next step is for the developers of ARRES to go ahead with full production of the robot and build a bigger version.
Cllr Reena Ranger, Deputy Executive Member for Highways at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “After another wet winter, we know we’re likely to see an increase in potholes forming as the road surface recovers from water getting into cracks.
“That’s why we’ve worked hard to fix over 40,000 potholes this year through the trial of new techniques and using this cutting-edge technology we could potentially prevent the potholes forming in the first place.
“We’re committed to maintaining our road network so that it remains one of the best in the country – we’re excited for the time we can welcome PREVENT officially to our team.”
Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne MP, said: “This innovative technology has the potential to transform how we perform road maintenance and enhance the driver experience across Hertfordshire and beyond.
“It is said a stitch in time saves nine, and that prevention is better than cure – and likewise stopping cracks from growing into potholes could save a lot of future maintenance work.
“We’re committed to supporting businesses with bright ideas to improve our transport system, and have provided over £30,000 through our Transport Research and Innovation Grants to help Robotiz3d realise their vision for pothole-free roads.”
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