A Bengaluru engineer, Gaurav Sen, has developed an innovative system to tackle the problem of potholes. Using a dashcam, AI, and a database of government contracts, his system automatically detects potholes and identifies the specific contractor responsible for that road segment.
A pothole often indicated a rough journey, a damaged car, and yet another grievance. An engineer from Bengaluru discovered that he could use a dashcam, artificial intelligence, and a database of government contracts to address the issue.
In an Instagram video, Gaurav Sen showcased the system in partnership with ChatGPT India. The video then made its way to X, where it garnered notice for transforming a common civic pain into a data issue. Sen's system gathers data while he drives using a dashcam, GPS, and accelerometer installed in his vehicle. AI vision models are then used to process the video in order to detect potholes of various sizes.
Sen claimed to have created an application using Codex that logs pertinent data and transmits it to OpenAI. Additionally, the technology can detect potholes that could be hard to spot from a distance as they can resemble speed bumps. However, finding a pothole is just the first step. Sen wanted the system to provide a response to the inquiry that typically follows: who is in charge of repairing it?
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In order to accomplish that, he changed the software so that it could search throughout 2,900 government contracts and determine which contractor was in charge of a certain road segment. He clarified that this is especially helpful when a road is still covered by warranty as the contractor could be obliged to fix flaws without charging the government more.
Within four seconds, the app may generate a structured record that includes the snapshot, the precise position, the tender number, and the road officer.
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During one of his journeys to work, Sen also tested the device in the real world. It found twelve potholes along the way, providing him with recorded proof that he could use to file complaints with local authorities.
Since then, the concept has spread far beyond Bengaluru. Users commended Sen for creating something around an issue that affects drivers nationwide once the video made it to X. A similar technique might be used by city officials to locate damaged roadways and expedite repairs, according to others. What began as an engineer trying to make his own commute a little less bumpy has, in the process, become an experiment in using AI to make civic complaints harder to ignore.
