According to computer scientists at Buffalo, the ePave project, outlined in the academic journal Sensors, describes a network of self-powered wireless sensors which can provide city officials updates in real-time on the state of our roads.

These sensors would be laid under road surfaces and would harness piezoelectricity to monitor road conditions, breaks, and the formation of potholes.

Piezoelectricity is the type of wireless charge used by electric cigarette lighters and acoustic guitar pickups. This kind of pulse and energy is created by the “mechanical stress that vehicles put on roads,” according to the team, and therefore could be used to power sensors without the need for cabling.
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