Ford will commence testing a clever new crowd-sourced virtual pothole map later this year.
The map will work in real-time, making drivers aware of potholes and how bad they are via their in-car displays, while also suggesting alternate routes.
In the UK alone, local authorities receive a pothole damage claim every 17 minutes – with costs averaging £432. Back in 2011, around 20 million potholes were reported in Europe, but only half of them were filled, at an estimated cost of over €1.2 billion.
“A virtual pothole map could highlight a new pothole the minute it appears and almost immediately warn other drivers that there is a hazard ahead,” explained Uwe Hoffmann, a research engineer for Ford. “Our cars already feature sensors that detect potholes and now we are looking at taking this to the next level.”
Models such as the Mondeo, S-Max and the Galaxy already use on-board sensors for Continuously Controlled Damping with Pothole Mitigation – which adjusts the suspension to help reduce any potential damage.
Ford engineers are now researching the use of cameras and embedded modems at the automaker’s Research & Innovation Center in Germany. The goal is to gather detailed information on potholes and beam it into the cloud, where other drivers can access it in real time.
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