Road authorities need information they can act on to prevent defects becoming costly maintenance problems, according to the former Formula 1 engineer known as the “Pothole Hunter”.
Speaking on this week’s Highways Voices, Jonathan Selbie of Swedish technology company Univrses explains how artificial intelligence and cameras fitted to everyday vehicles can help identify deteriorating road surfaces earlier.
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In a conversation led by Highways News’s Kevin Borras, Mr Selbie argues that collecting more information is only useful if it helps authorities make better decisions.
“The last thing they need is more data. They are drowning in data. That is not the problem,” he says.
“The problem is collecting the right data at the right time, processing it, and aggregating it in the right way so that they receive the value.”
Mr Selbie describes a career spanning research and development at Red Bull Racing, drone navigation and computer vision, before applying that expertise to monitoring roads and roadside infrastructure.
He explains how cameras fitted to taxis, refuse lorries and maintenance vehicles can identify defects during journeys already taking place. Images are processed on the device, with relevant findings, their locations and supporting information passed to the authority for review and action.
The aim is to spot deterioration before it develops into a larger pothole, creating opportunities for earlier, less expensive intervention.
The conversation also explores what a useful digital twin should provide. Mr Selbie argues that the priority is an accurate, regularly updated record of assets and their condition, supporting practical maintenance decisions.
He describes Univrses’ work helping National Highways update its streetlighting asset records, and explains how camera observations can be combined with connected vehicle information, including road friction and hazard warnings.
A collaboration with Pirelli offers another source of insight, using sensors in tyres to understand conditions at the point of contact with the road.
However, Mr Selbie says achieving the full benefits requires organisational change alongside the technology. Authorities receiving much more frequent updates need working practices that allow them to respond.
“It’s not so much a technical change, it’s more an organisational change,” he says.
Listen to this week’s Highways Voices for the full conversation, covering preventative maintenance, practical uses of AI and the challenge of turning road data into action.
Read Jonathan Selbie’s accompanying opinion piece: How AI can help to solve the UK’s pothole crisis.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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