A Bengaluru engineer has turned his daily frustration with potholes into an AI-powered system that can detect damaged roads, locate them precisely and identify the contractor responsible for the road. The system combines a dashcam, GPS, an accelerometer and AI vision models, while also checking 2,900 government contracts to connect each pothole with the relevant road project.
From bumpy roads to an AI solution
For many motorists, hitting a pothole means a rough ride, possible vehicle damage and another complaint to the civic authorities. For Bengaluru-based engineer Gaurav Sen, it became a problem that could be tackled with technology.
Sen demonstrated his system in a video shared on Instagram in collaboration with ChatGPT India. The video later reached X, where it drew attention for its unusual approach to a familiar problem on Indian roads.
Instead of simply recording potholes, Sen's system attempts to build a complete record of each road defect.
How the pothole detection system works
Sen installed a dashcam, GPS and an accelerometer in his car. As he drives, the equipment collects road-related information along his route.
The recorded footage is then examined using AI vision models. The system can identify potholes and classify them according to their size.
