Stopping potholes could be “revolutionised” as Hertfordshire tests an AI-powered crack-filling robot.
The first Autonomous Road Repair System (ARRES) will be tested on a road in the county early this year - though the local authority has not yet revealed where.
It was developed by tech company Robotiz3d and academics at the University of Liverpool in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council highways engineers.
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A test in a residential road in the county is set to be the first to take place outside of a lab environment.
Hertfordshire councillor Phil Bibby, who is responsible for the highways, said: “We’re thrilled to be at the coalface of this exciting new technology, working with world-class tech inventors and engineers.
"We’ve long been leading the way in cracking the pothole issue and in recent times have been trialling new and improved ways to fill potholes.”
The robot, officially called ARRES PREVENT and still in the pilot phase, identifies and characterises cracks and potholes in the road using artificial intelligence (AI). It then automatically fills the cracks to keep out surface water, which helps prevent potholes forming.
According to the council, it has the potential to save time and money as well as reducing the disruption potholes cause to road users.
"As we continue to face another cold winter, we know we’re likely to see an increase in potholes forming as the road surface gets too cold and water and ice get into cracks that have formed over time,” Cllr Bibby added.
“Using state of the art technology to prevent the potholes forming in the first place could be exactly what we need to ensure our road network remains one of the best in the country.
“We know this issue matters to our residents, so it matters to us too.”
The majority of the funding for the product has come from Innovate UK, with other investors involved at different stages in the technology’s development.
Zenic CAM UK also shared a video of ARRES PREVENT filling a crack in a test road in Milton Keynes (below).
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