B.N.M.

Institute of
Technology
An Autonomous Institution under VTU

IPL-Project (23EEE139)
“POTHOLE DETECTOR”
Manohar. V 1BG23EE028
Manoj. U 1BG23EE026
Sharin Cherian 1BG23EE044
Shashank. G 1BG23EE045

Guide: Prof Ms. Shruthi V Joshi

Designation: Assistant Professor

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Mini Project Presentation 1

 Comments given during feasible seminar and actions
undertaken

• COMMENTS:

• The current design might not be able to differentiate

between potholes and other road irregularities like
speed breakers.
• How will the data be transmitted and processed in
real time?
• How will this integrate with existing traffic
monitoring systems?
• The project may not be feasible due to high costs of
implementation.

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Mini Project Presentation 2

Actions:
Incorporated an ultrasonic sensor for precise
depth measurement to distinguish between
potholes and bumps.

Integrated IoT module like ESP32 for real

time data transmission to a centralized
server.

Developed APIs and protocols for data

sharing with municipal systems.

Used cost effective components like low cost

sensors and controllers. Developed a
modular design to reduce production costs
for scalability.
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 Introduction
 Background: Potholes are a significant problem
worldwide, affecting road safety, vehicle performance, and
transportation infrastructure.
 Need: The development of a pothole detection system
aims to address these issues by leveraging technology to
identify, record, and communicate the presence of
potholes.
 Justification: This project provides a simple and effective
way to monitor road conditions, ensuring safer and
smoother travel for everyone.
 Features: Accurate detection, Real time monitoring, GPS
integration, IoT connectivity, User friendly interface, Cost
effective design.

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Mini Project Presentation 4

 Literature Survey

Paper 1 IoT-Based Pothole Detection

 Main Objective: Develop an IoT-based system for real-

time pothole detection and reporting using sensors, GPS,
and GSM modules.
 Significant Work: Integration of ultrasonic sensors to
measure surface irregularities. Use of GPS to log precise
pothole locations. Notification of authorities via GSM or
cloud platforms.
 Results: High accuracy in detecting medium-to-large
potholes. Real-time alerts and data logging.
 Relevance: Important for urban infrastructure maintenance,
enabling automated reporting and faster repairs.

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Paper 2: Accelerometer-Based Pothole Detection

Main Objective: Leverage smartphone accelerometers

to identify potholes based on abnormal vibrations.
Significant Work: Development of an algorithm to
differentiate pothole vibrations from normal road
conditions. Logging location data with GPS for mapping.
Results: Cost-effective and highly portable solution. Can
miss smaller potholes or classify speed bumps
incorrectly.
Relevance: Democratizes road monitoring through
crowd-sourced data collection, particularly useful in
developing countries.

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Paper 3: Community-Based Reporting Systems

Main Objective: Develop a crowd-sourced system

where users report potholes manually or via smartphone
sensors.
Significant Work: Development of mobile applications
for pothole reporting. Visualization of reported data on
GIS platforms.
Results: Increased public participation in road
maintenance. High dependence on user engagement for
data collection.
Relevance: Cost-effective and scalable solution for
urban road monitoring, particularly in areas with limited
infrastructure for automated systems.

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Project Phase 1 Presentation 7

 Gaps Identified
Accuracy vs cost trade-off:
A need for a cost-effective yet reliable solution suitable for
large-scale implementation in budget-constrained regions.

Re-Time Data Transmission and Processing:

Inefficient communication protocols or limitations in
processing speed for real-time applications.

Enhanced Sensor Calibration:

Develop sensors that can detect both small and large
irregularities with high precision.

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Mini Project Presentation 8

 Objectives
Enhance Detection Accuracy for All
Pothole sizes.
Develop an Environmentally Robust
System.
Real time detection and reporting.
Create a cost effective, scalable solution.

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Mini Project Presentation 9

Components to
be used
Component Specification/Ratings

ESP 32 4.5V – 12V, 160 mA to 240 mA

HC- 05 BLUETOOTH MODULE 3.3V – 5V, 30 mA to 40 mA

NEO 6M GPS MODULE 3.3V to 5V, 30mA- 40mA

HC-SR04 ULTRASONIC SENSOR 5V, 15mA

ADXL – 345 ACCELEROMETER 1.8V to 3.3V, 0.1 µA-40 µA

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Project Phase 1 Presentation 10

 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Project Phase 1 Presentation 11

Work Carried Out for the
Pothole Detection System
Project
• Project Objective: The goal was to design a system capable
of detecting potholes using sensor data (distance, vibration,
and location) and sending alerts to the user through the
Blynk app.
• The accelerometer's vibration threshold was adjusted based
on real-world testing to detect significant movements
caused by potholes.
• The GPS module was tested for accuracy in providing
location coordinates to pinpoint detected potholes.
• The ultrasonic sensor's threshold for pothole detection was
set to 30 cm to indicate the presence of a pothole.

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 Result and Discussions
 The system was able to accurately detect potholes created by
us with a high level of confidence. However, false positives
occasionally occurred due to normal road vibrations (e.g.,
minor bumps) or non-pothole-related road conditions.
 Future plans include integrating the system with cloud services
to store and analyze pothole detection data over time.
 Push notifications, email alerts, or automated road
maintenance requests could be implemented based on
pothole detection.
 The system could be enhanced by integrating cloud services
for storing historical pothole detection data, allowing users to
track road conditions over time and create predictive models
for maintenance.

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 Hardware Model Photo

12/07/2024 Dept. of EEE. BNMIT, Project Phase 1 Presentation 14

 References
1. "An IoT Based Pothole Detection System"Published in International
Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE).Discusses
IoT-based implementations using sensors and GPS.

2. "Pothole Detection and Warning System: IoT-Based

Approach"Published in IEEE Xplore.Focuses on ultrasonic sensors
and GPS for pothole mapping.

3. "Image Processing-Based Road Condition Detection"Published in

Elsevier Procedia.Explores AI and image processing techniques for
detecting potholes.

4. 1. "Introduction to IoT with Arduino and Raspberry Pi"Covers

hardware and software integration for IoT projects, including road
condition monitoring.

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