University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science | 2025 Dean's Report - Flipbook - Page 12
HOW CAN YOUR CAR MAKE
ROADS SAFER?
Every driver has cringed after hitting a pothole hard, hoping the car wouldn’t
steer differently or make any worrisome new sounds. But what if your own car
could report that pothole to the people who fix them?
Munir Nazzal, UC professor of civil engineering, is working with Honda Motor Co.,
infrastructure engineering firm Parsons Corp., consulting firm i-Probe, and the Ohio
Department of Transportation to demonstrate that new cars can evaluate roads.
“The focus is on the condition of the road, but it applies to other important
things from signs to guardrails to barriers to pavement markings. Safety is the
priority. If we can reduce the number of accidents, we can save lives,” said Nazzal,
who leads UC’s Center for Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure.
By using sensor technology and AI-driven software within standard production
vehicles, Nazzal’s team aims to detect and report road hazards. This data will
be relayed in real-time, allowing ODOT to monitor road conditions more efficiently
and proactively address safety issues. The system, designed with connected and
autonomous vehicles in mind, integrates existing vehicle sensors and cameras
to assess infrastructure while cars are on the road, offering an alternative to
traditional, less dynamic monitoring methods.
“We believe this initiative will be a paradigm shift in road infrastructure asset
evaluation, management, and maintenance,” said Sue Bai, Honda chief engineer
and chief of data business.
