Advancements in Pothole Detection Techniques: A Comprehensive Review and Comparative Analysis

Pothole detection is a significant issue for road infrastructure, causing vehicle damage, increased maintenance costs, and safety risks for road users. Recent research has focused on developing techniques to accurately and promptly detect potholes, utilizing technologies such as computer vision, sensors, machine learning, and crowdsourcing. A comprehensive review of these techniques has been conducted, evaluating their advantages, drawbacks, and potential uses, with over a hundred research papers analyzed in the field.

Key Takeaways:

• The study highlights the strengths and limitations of various pothole detection techniques, providing valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
• A comprehensive review of pothole detection methods, including computer vision, sensors, machine learning, and crowdsourcing, was conducted, assessing their advantages, drawbacks, and potential uses.
• The review evaluated over a hundred research papers in the field, analyzing various techniques and their accuracies and processing times to determine the best method.
• The study discusses the formation mechanisms of potholes and the various techniques applied for their detection, providing a comprehensive analysis of the field.
• The research concluded that stakeholders can make informed choices about selecting and applying suitable detection strategies for road infrastructure maintenance and safety.
• The review emphasizes the importance of understanding the strengths and limitations of various pothole detection techniques to select the most suitable method for a given application.

Statistics:

• Over a hundred research papers were analyzed in the field of pothole detection.
• The study evaluated various techniques, including computer vision, sensors, machine learning, and crowdsourcing.
• The review assessed the accuracies and processing times of different pothole detection methods.
• The study provides a comprehensive analysis of pothole formation mechanisms and detection techniques.

Sources:

• Advancements in pothole detection techniques: a comprehensive review and comparative analysis. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 2025, 5(1):1-27.
• Springer Publisher
• https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s44163-025-00297-7