University of Leeds researchers developed drone technology that can fix potholes in the road. The researchers created image recognition algorithms that can detect potholes, and installed them on drone cameras. After a pothole is detected, a drone uses an asphalt 3D printer to patch up the hole. The technology could fix potholes before they grow larger. “When you look at interventions in infrastructure — whether it’s roads, pipes, bridges, or similar — you’re very often using ton and meter-scale solutions for problems that started out as gram and millimeter-scale defects,” said Phil Purnell, professor of Materials and Structures at the University of Leeds