From the automaker that’s giving us “invisible” window pillars, Jaguar Land Rover is working to crush potholes in their tracks.
Known as Pothole Alert, the system is a three-pronged approach aimed at lessening the blow from potholes and the damage they can cause to your car. At the core of the system is a camera programmed to read the road’s surface, scanning for imperfections and notifying the driver of any rough patches. If the driver can’t swerve to avoid the pothole, the system uses a set of magnetic dampers to prepare the suspension system from a serious jolt.
The system can also record that data and store it on the cloud. This not only has the potential of warning other drivers of road imperfections, but it can also send that information to local municipalities to ensure potholes are patched up sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, you’ll have to watch out for potholes the old-fashioned way – using your eyes, of course – but Jaguar Land Rover is currently testing the system on a Range Rover Evoque.
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Mike Faille, National Post
