A blue hybrid pickup truck equipped with lasers and AI for real-time road surface analysis is hitting the highways of Montana.
Developed by a researcher at Montana State University, the system uses laser-based sensors and high-speed cameras mounted on the front bumper and tailgate to feed data into AI-powered software that flags cracks and other road defects as the vehicle moves.
A “high-end” graphics processing unit gives the tech a precision range of 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters.
As the driver keeps the truck moving, a passenger operates the sensors through a touchscreen monitor, gathering around one gigabyte of data every minute.
“The hardware sensors are based on 3D laser triangulation principles to scan the pavement many thousands of times per second at highway speed to establish a 3D replica of the pavement surface,” said Kelvin Wang, director of the university’s Western Transport Institute.
Currently, the prototype can only analyze road surfaces. However, Wang hopes to secure more funding to allow the system to examine deeper pavement layers.
From Highway Roads to the Warzone
While the system is being tested on public highways, Wang’s team sees significant potential for military use.
He said the tech is designed to be straightforward, making it especially useful for navigating uncertain terrain.
“Operators can be trained in a matter of hours to efficiently acquire and process the data,” Wang stated. “This rapid and automated process would help save lives and provide more accurate and timely data to decision makers in the field.”
The team plans to keep refining the system in the coming months, aiming to get it mission-ready for both transport agencies and the military.
