The world’s first pothole preventing robot is set to be tested in the Hertfordshire County Council in England
The pothole preventing robot is set to pass its first test outside of a lab environment when it hits the roads of the Hertfordshire County Council.
Developed by tech company Robotiz3d and academics at the University of Liverpool, in partnership with Highways Engineers, the team has developed the first Autonomous Road Repair System ‘ARRES’.
‘ARRES Prevent’, the official name for the autonomous robot, will be able to identify and characterise cracks and potholes in the road using artificial intelligence.
When identifying cracks, the robot will automatically fill them to prevent surface water from entering and therefore preventing potholes.
The autonomous robot has the potential to save time and money whilst also making roads safer for road users.
“We’re thrilled to be at the coalface of this exciting new technology, working with world-class tech inventors and engineers,” council executive member for highways Phil Bibby says.
If successful in its training, the technology could help to revolutionise how the world deals with pothole issues, the council says in a statement.
“The new vehicle is currently still in its pilot phase and has been tested in a lab environment extensively, but it is due to hit the roads of Hertfordshire early this year for a ‘real-life’ road repair on a residential street in the county,” the statement reads.