The idea is to repair small cracks before they can develop into full-blown potholes. Not only would using drones to repair roads be less disruptive to traffic, it would be much less expensive than using human crews, according to Jackson.
The crew would bring a “black box” which would use computer vision technology to position a 3D printer over the crack and fill it. For example, a logistics app could direct a small repair crew to crack locations, possibly in an automated vehicle, optimizing the work schedule, timing and routes. “It will be quieter, so we can do it at night and the goal is to have no human input at all.”īefore the project reaches that stage, it may be deployed in a semi-automated version of the process, which several road contractors have already expressed interest in. “Our 2050 vision is to have zero-disruption road works,” says Richard Jackson, a research associate at UCL who developed the asphalt 3D printer. The University of Leeds has already created a prototype of a road repair drone, and researchers at University College London have developed the world’s first asphalt 3D printer. The Self Repairing Cities project is working to create a future in which drones repair road damage, using attached 3D printers to deposit asphalt into cracks and holes. It’s a cycle that most people are used to, but it may not be the case forever. Time to get the road crews out, resulting in further frustration as traffic flow is disrupted to fix the damage. Snow and ice will be ruling the roads for the next few months, and when they go, they will leave behind them potholes and cracks. The holiday season is here…and so is the season for terrible roads.