A Small Robot to Repair Asphalt Road Potholes

Salvatore Bruno; Giuseppe Cantisani; Antonio D’Andrea; Giulia Del Serrone; Paola Di Mascio; Kristian Knudsen; Giuseppe Loprencipe; Laura Moretti; Carlo Polidori; Søren Thorenfeldt Ingwersen; Loretta Venturini; Marco Zani

doi:10.3390/infrastructures9110210

Infrastructures (Nov 2024)

A Small Robot to Repair Asphalt Road Potholes

Salvatore Bruno,
Giuseppe Cantisani,
Antonio D’Andrea,
Giulia Del Serrone,
Paola Di Mascio,
Kristian Knudsen,
Giuseppe Loprencipe,
Laura Moretti,
Carlo Polidori,
Søren Thorenfeldt Ingwersen,
Loretta Venturini,
Marco Zani

Affiliations

Salvatore Bruno: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Cantisani: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Antonio D’Andrea: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Giulia Del Serrone: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Paola Di Mascio: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Kristian Knudsen: TinyMobileRobots, Sofienlystvej 9, 8340 Malling, Denmark
Giuseppe Loprencipe: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Laura Moretti: Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Carlo Polidori: AIPSS Associazione Italiana Professionisti Sicurezza Stradale, Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo 2, 00186 Rome, Italy
Søren Thorenfeldt Ingwersen: TinyMobileRobots, Sofienlystvej 9, 8340 Malling, Denmark
Loretta Venturini: Iterchimica S.p.A., Via Guglielmo Marconi 21, 24040 Suisio, Italy
Marco Zani: Mark One S.r.l., Via Albert Einstein, 22, FC, Emilia Romagna, 47025 Mercato Saraceno, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures9110210
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 11
p. 210

Abstract

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As part of the Horizon 2020 InfraROB project aimed at enhancing road safety through innovative robotic solutions, a compact autonomous vehicle has been developed to repair asphalt potholes. Central to this system is a 3D printer capable of extruding a novel cold-asphalt mixture, specifically designed for patching road surfaces. The printer is mounted on a small robot that autonomously navigates to potholes, while the human operator controls the operation from a secure location outside the traffic area. The system’s development involved several key steps: designing the repair mixture, constructing the 3D printer for mixture extrusion, implementing a photogrammetric technique to accurately measure pothole geometry for printing, and integrating the extrusion system with the robotic platform. Two preliminary tests were conducted in controlled environments at Sapienza University of Rome to check the reliability of calculation of the amount of material needed to fill in the potholes. Finally, the entire procedure was tested on an Italian motorway, demonstrating the system’s functionality without encountering operational issues.

Published in Infrastructures

ISSN: 2412-3811 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/infrastructures

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