Title:IoT-Based Pothole Detection System


Authors:Abhay Dugaya, Amit Yadav, Chirag Mali, Darshil Jain, Nisha Rathi, Ashish Anjana


Published in: Volume 3 Issue 1 Jan June 2026, Page No.253-257


Keywords:Pothole Detection, IOT, ESP32, MPU-6050, GPS, Cloud Database, Smart City, Road Safety, Automation, Embedded System


Abstract:India is suffering from the major issue of road maintenance because of recurring potholes, which lead to accidents, damage to vehicles, and traffic congestion. The conventional technique of road inspection is inefficient and takes too much time. To overcome this problem, we suggest the Pothole Detection System, a smart IoT-based solution that detects and marks potholes automatically in real-time. The system involves an MPU-6050 accelerometer to detect vibrations on the road and an ESP32 microcontroller to analyze the data. There is an integrated GPS module that captures the location of every pothole precisely. The ESP32 is always tracking vertical acceleration (Z-axis) of the MPU-6050. When the values cross a set threshold, which would mean a pothole impact, the system records the respective latitude and longitude and transmits this data to a cloud database via Wi-Fi. The data can subsequently be mapped digitally as a pothole map, allowing the authorities to locate and schedule damaged road sections for repair. We expect that the system could identify potholes with high accuracy and filter out false positives from routine vibrations or speed bumps. The system is low-cost, scalable, and energy efficient, making it suitable for implementation in smart city infrastructure.


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