A team from Northeastern University has a very interesting van used for quantitatively assessing pavement condition using a variety of sensors. They use cameras, laser profilers, accelerometers on axles, pressure sensors in the tires, microphones, and even ground penetrating radar. The researchers reportedly characterized pavement condition of 150 miles of road in 4 days in Beverly, Massachussets, a task that took public employees about 1 year the last time it was performed, in 2010. The cost of the survey was around $25,000. The technology is expected to be commercialized this month. [Source: The Boston Globe. Image: Boston Globe]
