Sydney to use AI technology to smooth bumpy roads
The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced a new AI (artificial intelligence) technology that is set to automate and revolutionize the way the state's roads are maintained and repaired.
The project announced on Tuesday would fund a A$2.9 million ($1.96 million) trial from AI company, Asset AI, which would install sensors on 32 public buses with routes across greater Sydney.
The sensors use AI to combine visual data with local weather conditions to predict the rate of deterioration in the city's roads - meaning it would in theory be able to alert maintenance teams before potholes or other road damages pose a risk to traffic.
"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.
Currently, road damages and defects rely on reports from residents. However, in months of heavy rainfall, as has been experienced in Sydney, roads often deteriorate faster than can be adequately monitored.
The technology would allow pothole "heatmaps" to be generated across the city, indicating which areas are in the most need of repair.
Khal Asfour, mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, an area in southwest Sydney which underwent a pre-trial of the technology, said the AI technology has already helped improve road safety in the area.
The project announced on Tuesday would fund a A$2.9 million ($1.96 million) trial from AI company, Asset AI, which would install sensors on 32 public buses with routes across greater Sydney.
The sensors use AI to combine visual data with local weather conditions to predict the rate of deterioration in the city's roads - meaning it would in theory be able to alert maintenance teams before potholes or other road damages pose a risk to traffic.
"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.
Currently, road damages and defects rely on reports from residents. However, in months of heavy rainfall, as has been experienced in Sydney, roads often deteriorate faster than can be adequately monitored.
The technology would allow pothole "heatmaps" to be generated across the city, indicating which areas are in the most need of repair.
Khal Asfour, mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, an area in southwest Sydney which underwent a pre-trial of the technology, said the AI technology has already helped improve road safety in the area.
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