The group of students with their device warning about damaged roads and flooding conditions. Photo giaoducthoidai.vn

ĐÀ NẴNG – A group of five students in Đà Nẵng has successfully created a device that uses accelerometers and water level sensors, mounted on vehicles, to warn about damaged roads and flooding conditions.

The students who developed this device are Phạm Văn Phúc, Phan Đình Nam, Phạm Quang Trình and Nguyễn Văn Thắng from the University of Technology and Education and Phạm Phương Nhi from the University of Economics, Đà Nẵng University.

Phạm Văn Phúc, the team leader, told giaoducthoidai.vn that after over a year of research, the group devised a solution using compact, low-cost accelerometers and water level sensors that are easy to implement and unaffected by weather conditions.

The two sensors are installed along the rear shock absorbers of the vehicle: one for water detection under the vehicle and the other on the side to measure water levels, Phúc said.

“When the vehicle is in motion, the data collection unit reads inputs from the accelerometers, water detection sensors and water level sensors,” the student said.

“This data is sent to a central processing unit via 4G connectivity,” he said.

The group used algorithms to assess road surface roughness using data from the accelerometers, while the water detection sensors and water level measurements identify the extent of flooding on roads.

The information is transmitted in real-time to a smartphone.

To evaluate the system, the group conducted tests over two months on inner-city roads in Đà Nẵng including Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Lê Lợi and Trần Phú streets.

Since there was no heavy rainfall during this period, they simulated flooding scenarios to assess the system's functionality.

The device achieved 95 per cent accuracy in detecting road conditions and flooding. The display indicates road conditions using colours: green for good conditions, yellow for minor potholes and red for severe potholes.

Flooding levels are also measured and displayed in centimetres.

According to the team leader, while existing technologies like drones equipped with cameras can help detect road damage, they are more suitable for highways rather than urban streets.

“Drones are also impacted by factors such as weather, lighting and water-covered surfaces, which may lead to inaccuracies,” Phúc said.

The group acknowledged some limitations of their system, such as false positives when vehicles pass over speed bumps, mistaking them for road damage.

To address this, the team plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to distinguish potholes from speed bumps.

Additionally, the current sensors occasionally face delays and data congestion due to their low cost.

“In the future, we will use more specialised sensors for better data stability,” said Phúc.

Enhancing road safety

The inspiration for the device came from the poor quality of roads especially in the rainy season in Đà Nẵng City, with road being damaged, leading to water pooling and the formation of potholes.

Many road users get accidents or injuries due to these potholes, even when complying with traffic laws.

A warning device integrated with smartphones could significantly reduce accidents, contributing to safer transportation.

There are two main types of potholes on roads, shallow ones with small surface indentations about 50mm deep and deep potholes with larger diameters up to one metre.

While similar sensor-based warning devices exist on the market, they are generally expensive and mainly designed for cars, not motorbikes.

The group focused on creating an affordable, user-friendly product that provides immediate, accurate warnings. Such features increase the potential for widespread adoption.

The group aims to collaborate with urban bus companies to collect comprehensive data on road and flooding conditions throughout the city.

This data would be displayed on a user interface for real-time monitoring and to quickly notify road users of potential risks.

According to Associate Professor Dr Nguyễn Ngọc Lâm, former head of the Electronics, Informatics, and Automation Institute, the pothole and flooding warning system is highly practical, helping the public identify damaged roads.

Lâm said, however, that the shock absorber-mounted sensors used in the system need refinement, as potholes may produce strong shocks at high speeds, but less of a thump at lower speeds.

The group's project won a Consolation Prize at the Euréka 2024 Scientific Research Student Competition, organised by the HCM Youth Union and Việt Nam National University, HCM City.

The students plan to collect more extensive traffic data in Đà Nẵng to train AI models for more accurate warnings before seeking investment from interested companies.

“Our product is still in the experimental phase, so no specific pricing has been determined yet. However, we are confident the product will be competitively priced due to our mastery of the technology and its adaptability to Việt Nam’s traffic conditions,” Phúc said. VNS