University of Missouri scientists have developed a smartphone-based system to monitor the United States’ aging infrastructure. The university team said the app will allow users to better observe these structures, including deteriorating roads and bridges.
According to ECN, smartphones are packed with sensors like a camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, and an external infrared sensor. Once these sensors are connected to a smartphone, a user can transmit real-time infrastructure updates to a database as they ride on a road.
"Assessing roads, bridges, and airfields with affordable sensors, such as those found in smartphones, really works," Bill Buttlar, the Glen Barton chair of Flexible Pavement Technology, told ECN. "With a smartphone, we can stitch together many inexpensive measurements to accurately assess things like the roughness or deterioration of a road surface.”
Researchers hope the data will help create a clearer image of road and bridge safety, and facilitate more informed decisions.
Source: ECN
