IIIT Hyderabad goes artificially intelligent to rescue the city from potholes

With data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning dominating the technology scene, researchers and students from the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad have taken the necessary cues to solve real problems plaguing their city.

The city has seen consistency when it comes to monsoon-related problems like pothole formation, water-logging, flooding, and other unnecessary obstructions on the roads. Attempting to put an end to these rain-related woes, IIIT Hyderabad has started work on a project where AI is used to detect, assess, and understand the conditions of the roads.

The concerned team is currently using a car fitted with cameras and back-end AI algorithms in the Gachibowli area to try to understand the road conditions. However, it will be another few months before a proposal can be submitted to the government. Director of IIIT Hyderabad, Professor PJ Narayanan, in a chat with The Times of India, said,

"We are working on a project where we send a car fitted with a few cameras on the roads and the back-end algorithms helps in detecting potholes, water logging, or obstructions. These basic facts, that the GHMC may want to know, are not easy to collect and we can help them collect them automatically."

Machine learning and AI are solving problems the world over. For example, a remote-controlled bomb disposal robot was used to kill the Dallas shooting suspect in July 2016. Closer home, Telangana, in collaboration with Microsoft, has been using AI to screen children for eye problems.

IIIT Hyderabad has also already employed AI in the development of driverless car technologies. According to Business Standard, Narayanan said,

"We are actually working on the components of a driverless car. We are not hoping that the car will be running on Hyderabad roads without a driver."

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