The technology will automate the way the roads are maintained and repaired.

On Tuesday, New South Wales, a state in Australia, announced Asset AI, a A$2.9 million project to trial technology for monitoring the conditions on roads in Greater Sydney through the use of sensors on 32 public buses operating on various routes in the city. (SOCIALNEWS.XYX)

Uniquely, the sensors are able to predict the rate of deterioration in the city’s roads by combining visual data with local weather conditions. It is therefore possible to obtain advance warning of road damage or potholes before they appear and cause a risk to traffic.

The system is expected to be more reliable than the current, manual process which relies on reports from city residents – usually after the damage has already occurred.

Asset AI: Smart road monitoring tech

“There will always be cracks in the road and there will always be potholes but with smart tech like this we can predict deterioration, streamline maintenance and get to better outcomes much faster,” said NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Victor Dominello.

Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said this cutting edge technology is revolutionising road maintenance across the state.

“It’s a brilliant use of resources already on our roads. Mounting cameras and sensors onto vehicles with regular routes, like garbage trucks and public transport buses, ensures road defects are captured incidentally, including those un-reported by residents,” Mrs Ward said.

The Asset AI system can also create road condition “heat maps” that can focus the city’s attention on the areas needing the most repairs.

Canterbury Bankstown, an area in southwest Sydney, conducted a pre-trial of the AI technology. Mayor Khal Asfour said the new technology would allow the council to conduct road audits on a weekly basis instead of once every four years.

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