New research platform for better roads - and more

The VTI Mobile Research Platform is one of the world’s most advanced measuring vehicles and aims to make traffic safer and transport more sustainable going forward. It can be used for completely different tasks, too.

This research platform will primarily be used to examine different road surfaces and can measure anything from millimetre-sized cracks to uneven areas spanning several hundred metres. The vehicle is also capable of measuring noise, temperature and air pollution around the road surface. The road’s surroundings can also be measured using LiDAR scanners and 360-degree cameras and described in 3D models known as digital twins.

These measurements are taken with a view to making future infrastructure and transport safer and more sustainable. A number of practical applications are linked to climate change and the risk of extreme weather events. For instance, the research platform can be used to measure road subsidence following heavy downpours. It can also be used to create digital models indicating flood risks around roads.

It will also be possible for other organisations to make use of the equipment, so its use will not be limited to roads, the environment and traffic. One of the first projects, for instance, involves building a detailed 3D model of a city that is intended for simulation, urban planning and maintenance purposes.

“The system is flexible and offers lots of possibilities. In fact, the sky’s the limit when it comes to determining what the research platform can be used for,” says research engineer Thomas Lundberg.

The official launch of the new road measuring vehicle took place in Linköping on Monday, during a visit to VTI by Andreas Carlson, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.

“I am proud of VTI and its role as a world-leading research institute. VTI is important both for Swedish infrastructure and on a global level. The fact that the measuring car as a research tool can read more and more parameters is a welcome aspect,” says Andreas Carlson.

Tomas Svensson, Director General of VTI, highlights the fact that the road surface measuring vehicle is needed for the major road maintenance investments announced by the government.

"This investment in modern, high-quality and flexible measuring equipment allows us to ensure that the road transport system is maintained and developed on the basis of the best knowledge base possible,” says Tomas Svensson, DG of VTI.

Precise absolute positioning is a key element of the new research vehicle. This is achieved using equipment that positions both road surface data and area data down to centimetre level accuracy. Enormous data volumes are collected, which requires very powerful computers for post-processing. 500 million data points are collected over a distance of two kilometres.

Read more about the new vehicle here: VTI Mobile Research Platform, MRP