UK County To Soon Roll Out Robot That Can Fill Potholes

A UK-based company is testing a robot designed to tackle potholes using artificial intelligence (AI). Sky News said in a report that the machine will soon be tested on actual roads in Hertfordshire. It is called ARRES (Autonomous Road Repair System) and can identify and characterise potholes and cracks by using algorithms created with the help of AI. The robot can automatically fill the potholes to keep out the surface water, which can seep through causing damage to the road.

The Sky News report said that ARRES is expected to save time and money identifying potholes, and reduce the disruption they cause to motorists.

The robot has been developed by tech company Robotiz3d, in collaboration with academics at the University of Liverpool and Hertfordshire County Council Highways Engineers.

The council will soon identify a road in the county for a "real-life" test of the robot. The test is expected to be carried out later this year.

As per the company, the development of the machine started in 2020 and it is currently the only autonomous road repair vehicle anywhere in the world.

"The intention is to use the AI Robot alongside our human crews rather than to replace them. It will autonomously find and seal cracks in the road while our team gets on with other work, helping us get more work done in a single set of works to prevent future potholes while reducing disruption to the public," a Hertfordshire County Council spokespersons said about the project.

The AI-based algorithm will help the machine determine if a depression in the road surface is a pothole or not. If the robot identifies a road imperfection as a pothole, it will inject filling material into the crack to keep out water and prevent damage to the road.