Pothole Detection & Repair Robot
Collaborative robotics research project at SRM University Amaravathi — technical design, simulation, and project management.
Collaborative Research: Implementation details are shared at a system level — proprietary research specifics are not disclosed publicly.
Project Overview
A collaborative robotics research initiative at SRM University Amaravathi focused on autonomous pothole detection and repair. The project combines computer vision, robotic manipulation, and autonomous navigation to build a system capable of detecting, approaching, and repairing road potholes without human intervention.
My Role
TECHNICAL
- →Designed the complete robotic arm system in SolidWorks — structure, joint configuration, actuator mounts, and repair mechanism
- →Wrote the full fabrication plan for the arm system — materials, tolerances, assembly sequence
- →Built MoveIt2 simulation of the designed arm — motion planning, joint trajectories, collision checking
- →Developed ROS2 integration for the arm — control nodes, action servers, and system communication
- →Collected and reviewed research literature on pothole detection and robotic repair systems
MANAGEMENT
- →Visited fabrication vendors to evaluate manufacturing capabilities and get components machined to spec
- →Sourced industrial components — visited industries and suppliers for blowers, belt drives, and mechanical transmission components
- →Procured all sensors and electronics — cameras, LiDAR units, motors, and actuators for the robotic system
- →Managed complete project funds — budgeting, expenditure tracking, vendor payments, and reporting
- →Coordinated procurement timelines with the technical build schedule to avoid delays
Technical Contributions in Detail
Arm Design (SolidWorks)
Designed the robotic arm from scratch — mechanical structure, joint placement, actuator mounting, and the repair end-effector. Iterated through multiple configurations to balance reach, payload capacity, and compactness.
Fabrication Plan
Wrote a detailed fabrication plan covering material selection, machining tolerances, component assembly sequence, and integration with the mobile base.
MoveIt2 Simulation
Simulated the designed arm in MoveIt2 — validated joint trajectories, checked workspace coverage, tested collision avoidance, and verified the repair motion sequences before fabrication.
ROS2 Integration
Built the ROS2 architecture for the arm — motion control nodes, action server interfaces, and communication with the perception and navigation subsystems.
Research Documentation
Reviewed academic literature on autonomous repair systems, computer vision-based pothole detection, and robotic road maintenance. Contributed to formal research documentation for the project.