Bengaluru Techi Uses Car’s Dashcam as AI Tool and Raises Pothole Compliant

An Bengaluru Engineer has used a car dashcam, GPS, and AI to tackle a problem which has become part of everyday driving in the city, potholes. His system not only helps detect damaged roads but it also helps in recording their exact location and preparing a complaint in seconds, while trying to identify who is responsible for fixing them.

He fitted his car with a dashcam, GPS and an accelerometer. The setup helps record the road as he drives, along with the location and movement data which can help in identifying where the pothole was encountered. He then used Codex to build an app, which processes the information and sends it to AI vision models.

The result is a system which helps scan the recorded footage, spot holes, and classify them by size, including small, medium, and large defects.

Sen has shared the project on Instagram on 5th August, describing it as his way of reporting potholes to the brihanmumbai Mumbai Municipal Corporation or BBMP. He also pointed to the wider danger posed by damaged roads, saying more than 2000 Indians die each year in accidents described.

The app does more than spot a pothole: Detecting a pothole is only the first step. A photograph of damage may show the problem, but a complaint still need details.

Sen’s system attempts to solve this part too. The app then searches around 2900 government road contracts to connect a detected pothole having the relevant road project. It can identify the tender number, the contractor associated with the work, and the government office responsible for the road.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Sagaya

[email protected]