UK: Researchers push on with efforts to develop autonomous vehicles that repair potholes
Repairing roads can be a time consuming, labor-intensive and costly process
The University of Liverpool has formed a new company, Robotiz3d Ltd to take forward new technology to radically transform road maintenance. Robotiz3d Ltd is a joint venture spin-out company established in partnership with A2e Ltd and will receive investment from the University’s Enterprise Investment Fund, alongside private equity investment from a2e Ltd.
The company will commercialize patented research from the University’s Engineering Robotics Lab. The technology uses AI and robotics to significantly improve the way road defects, including potholes and road cracks, are detected and repaired.
Currently, no autonomous technology solutions exist to tackle the pothole crisis which plagues many parts of the country and is estimated to have cost more than £1billion to repair over the last decade.
“Current methods to detect and repair of potholes are labour intensive and as such are slow, unsafe, and costly to the economy and environment. The new technology we are developing will make road maintenance tasks faster, cheaper, and cleaner and ultimately make roads safer and more accessible.”
Dr Sebastiano Fichera, Technical Director of Robotiz3d Ltd
Amongst the company founders are Dr Paolo Paoletti and Dr Sebastiano Fichera from the University’s School of Engineering who have an extensive track record of research in this area and have been developing and trialling the technology over the past four years.
