Is that a pothole?

The car companies ‘Pothole Alert’ research would be well suited for South Africa’s roads and could help save motorists billions in punctures, vehicle damage and road accidents every year.

 

The new connected-car technology will enable a vehicle to identify the location and severity of potholes, broken drains and manhole covers, while researchers are also developing technology that will enable vehicles to share data with other cars via the cloud.

 

“By monitoring the motion of the vehicle and changes in the height of the suspension, the car is able to continuously adjust the vehicle’s suspension characteristics, giving passengers a more comfortable ride over uneven and damaged road surfaces.”

 

Sensing the road ahead and assessing hazards is a key building block of a journey to the autonomous car" a spokesperson said.

 

“In the future, we are looking to develop systems that could automatically guide a car around potholes without the car leaving its lane and causing a danger to other drivers. If the pothole hazard was significant enough, safety systems could slow or even stop the car to minimize the impact,” Bell said.