Jaguar Land Rover has developed a new system that will allow their vehicles to detect potholes, broken drains, and manholes. This technology can also assess how deep the holes are and then share the information with the authorities responsible.
Potholes approximately cause 10% of mechanical failures on UK roads and are a big factor in causing axle and suspension malfunctions, which costs British drivers an estimated £2.8 billion yearly.
According to Daily Mail, the 'pothole alert' system can even transmit information obtained by scanners in the car so that the other vehicles would become aware of the hazardous crater well before they reach it.
The Global Connected Car Director of Jaguar Land Rover, Mike Bell, said that their MagneRide-equipped Range Rover Evoque and Discovery vehicles feature advanced sensors that enable the vehicle to scan the road surface and identify potholes, manholes and broken drain covers.
The new technology works by observing the motion of the automobile and the changes in the height of the suspension. In this way, the vehicle can constantly regulate its suspension settings. As a result, passengers will have a more comfortable ride over uneven and damaged road surfaces.
Bell also added that this is a huge opportunity to turn the information from these vehicle sensors into significant data and share it for the convenience of other drivers.
The introduction of this technology not only helps the drivers, but is also a stepping stone towards developing an automatic car.
"Ultimately, sensing the road ahead and assessing hazards is a key building block on our journey to the autonomous car," stated Dr. Bell.
The company is aiming to produce systems that could automatically guide a car in the future, which can prevent a car from steering off course and causing danger to other drivers as it dodges potholes. If the car can detect more serious warnings, safety systems could slow or even stop the vehicle to reduce the impact.
Daily Express reported that Jaguar Land Rover is working with Coventry Council in developing a method of communicating data about potholes and prioritize repairs.
