Jaguar Land Rover is developing technology to enable its cars to identify potholes they encounter and share that data in real-time with road authorities and other vehicles.

The upcoming feature will help government agencies prioritize road repairs and enable drivers to avoid major potholes and broken manholes.

The company has devised sensors for its Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport models that profile the surface under a vehicle’s wheels and monitor changes in the suspension height to gather data about road conditions and tag it with GPS-based location information.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Global Connected Car Director Dr. Mike Bell says:

While this gives our customers a more comfortable ride, we think there is a huge opportunity to turn the information from these vehicle sensors into ‘big data’ and share it for the benefit of other road users. This could help prevent billions of pounds of vehicle damage and make road repairs more effective.

Jaguar Land Rover’s pothole alert system (click for larger image)

The company’s current technology works only when drivers actually drive over said potholes. However, it’s looking into ways to scan the road ahead of a vehicle to detect them, using a forward-facing stereo digital camera fitted on its Range Rover Evoque research vehicle.

Coventry City Council in the UK is interested in Jaguar Land Rover’s work and is investigating how the company’s pothole alert system could supply data to aid in maintaining its road network.

The research could also augment the car maker’s work developing autonomous vehicles, allowing them to avoid potholes without leaving their lanes.

➤ Jaguar Land Rover Announces Technology Research Project To Detect, Predict And Share Data On Potholes [Jaguar Land Rover Media Centre]

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