Good news. The potholes that make life a misery for millions can now be catalogued faster thanks to a revolutionary new system built into a van. The Versatile Onboard Traffic Embedded Roaming Sensors (VOTERS) system recognises imperfections in roads and predicts where others look set to form in the near future. It incorporates a range of components. Highlights include a sensor that monitors air pressure within the van's tyre. A meaningful change suggests an imperfection. It complements a microphone as some noises – to a trained ear – reveal faults. Radar also scans the area between the wheels for pockets of air or water under the surface that could cause the road to decay. Finally, a camera – mounted from the roof of the van and pointing at the floor – records an image to confirm the findings. Faults are logged on a map and colour coded by severity.
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