Let’s face it: American road infrastructure is less than perfection. The pits, the baux, and the defects range from hundreds of thousands of miles from the sidewalk all over this country. And with many vehicles that drive along these roads every day, it is almost impossible to predict deterioration. barely.
General Motors recently A patent request submitted For a system that aims to warn drivers to deteriorate roads before they see it. General Motors Authority The discovered details that show GM initially submitted the request to the US Patent and brands office on December 15, 2023, although it was not publicly published until June 19, 2025. He lives under the patent number: US 2025/0526 A1.
General Motors will use sensors and cameras on vehicles, collecting road data such as displacement, rotating wheels, and vibration while driving. The company will then use these cameras to show road defects in actual time – such as drilling or water collection – and you feel this information even the cloud through specific Telematics and GPS.
From there, the system will determine the degree of maintenance of roads that reflect the state of the road in question. Bad degree enough? General Motors – in theory – can present that information to officials for immediate attention.
The GM system may also recommend alternative ways for drivers via the navigation system inside the car if the broken sidewalk is discovered along their path. Although it has not been determined in the patent, we expect a system like this to work along with GM’s Super Cruise, which will get 750,000 miles across the United States and Canada.
It is definitely an interesting idea-an idea that theoretically can provide drivers from thousands of dollars from the repair bills, especially in light of the road conditions that are less than the average in America.
GM ROAD Patent deterioration
Photography: US Patent and brands office
GM ROAD Patent deterioration
Photography: US Patent and brands office
Earlier this year, the American Association of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the American infrastructure A, as mentioned by by luck. Asce takes things like bridges and dams, and of course the ways to take into account, which occurs every four years.
ASCE’s “C” is actually improved in the previous classification, due to the infrastructure deal made by former President Biden, which became law in 2021.
“We have seen that investments begin to work, but we still have a lot of work to do there,” Darren Olson, head of the ASCE report. “By investing in our infrastructure, we make our economy more efficient, and make it stronger (and) we make ourselves more competitive in the world.”
Of course, this patent of this road degradation is not the only thing in GM’s arsenal that aims to help drivers.
Last May, General Motors submitted a patent called “evaluation of vehicle operator and deployment of counter -procedures.” Basically, a Deterrent This would use anti -measures to prevent an “undesirable position” while it is on the road.
The submission of patent patents of General Motors from 2023 aims to reduce The windshield for automatic parking.
It should be noted that General Motors did not receive patents for these inventions. But we can hope that some of this technology will make its way to the road – and in the end it improves our lives.
source:
US Patent and brands office via General Motors Authority
