Self-powered wireless sensors embedded in roads could spot potholes

By Warren Miller, contributing writer

Have you ever been driving down a bumpy road in the depths of winter and been worried about driving headlong into a pothole? Chances are you have, but fear not — help could be on the way. Researchers at the University of Buffalo, in collaboration with a team from Chang’an University in China, are developing a wireless network of underground sensors that could warn oncoming motorists of road faults and other potential pitfalls.

Called ePave, the system would employ subterraneous sensors like the ones at many intersections that turn the light from red to green when a car is approaching in the corresponding direction. Data collected by the sensors would be sent via underground conduits to relay stations, which would then transmit said data to transportation analysts and a network of connected vehicles.

Unlike traffic light sensors, however, which are connected to a power source through electrical cables beneath the road’s surface, these sensors would draw energy from the vibrations created by automobiles as they traverse the roadways. This type of energy, called piezoelectricity, has been harnessed in the past by electric cigarette lighters, quartz watches, and push-start propane barbecues. Each key-fob-sized sensor would be placed a handful of centimeters below the pavement at a distance of approximately 500 feet apart. The individual sensors can harness enough piezoelectricity to observe moisture and pressure levels, hopefully helping to detect weak points in the road’s integrity before they turn into potholes and fissures.

Image source: Pixabay.

“We want to detect road faults before they happen and ultimately help motorists avoid traffic accidents due to damaged roads,” said Wenyao Xu, Ph.D. , one of the project’s co-leaders and an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Buffalo.

Although ePave isn’t quite ready for widespread implementation as of yet, the project’s research team is hopeful. One thing to consider is the lifespan of the sensors themselves, which the developers expect to land somewhere between five and 20 years. They’re also evaluating methods to reduce the cost of embedding the sensors in roadways, a potentially costly and time-consuming endeavor.

Whatever the ultimate cost, a system that can predict where and when roads will deteriorate would almost certainly pay for itself before too long. Investing in crumbling infrastructure has been a big political talking point in the last few years — just imagine if we could maintain those infrastructures before they start to crumble.