Smart Pothole Detection and Clearance System using IoT

Road potholes are a major cause of traffic accidents, vehicle damage, and congestion, especially in develop- ing countries where road inspection is mostly manual. Conven- tional inspection methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error, leading to delayed maintenance and increased safety risks. To overcome these challenges, this project proposes a Smart Pothole Detection and Clearance System using embedded systems, robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT). The system is built around an ESP32 microcontroller, integrated with ultrasonic sensors and UV/IR sensors for effective pothole detection and obstacle avoidance. A NEO-6M GPS module is used to capture the precise geographical location of detected pot- holes. Whenever a pothole is identified, the system immediately sends real-time alerts along with GPS coordinates to concerned authorities through Telegram-based IoT notifications. The robot supports both automatic mode for autonomous operation and manual mode via Bluetooth for testing and demonstration. The proposed system minimizes human intervention, improves detec- tion accuracy, and enables timely road maintenance, making it a cost-effective and scalable solution for smart city infrastructure.