Jaguar and Land Rover are working on technologies to enable cars detect potholes.
The team is now in the research and development phases of a new Pothole Alert system, which will allow a vehicle to identify and store the location and severity of road imperfections.
This data will then be uploaded to the cloud, where it would then be shared and distributed to other vehicles in real-time using new connected-car technologies.
“Our MagneRide equipped Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport vehicles feature sophisticated sensors that allow the vehicle to profile the road surface under the wheels and identify potholes, raised manholes and broken drain covers,” says JLR’s Mike Bell.
“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.
While this gives our customers a more comfortable ride, we think there is a huge opportunity to turn the information from these vehicle sensors into ‘big data’ and share it for the benefit of other road users. This could help prevent billions of rands of vehicle damage and make road repairs more effective.”
In the UK, Jaguar and Land Rover are also working with city councils to understand how this information could be shared with authorities and road maintenance teams to more efficiently initiate repairs.
At the moment, there’s no word yet on when Pothole Assist might be introduced.
Via iOL
