‘Dalek’ pothole killer that may save British roads

The Telegraph, 17 April 2014

A new machine called the ‘Dalek’ has revolutionised the way to fix potholes, exterminating them in under two minutes

The new pot hole repair machine being tested in the village of Clifton

The new pothole repair machine being tested in the village of Clifton, Bedfordshire Photo: Geoff Robinson

By Ben Lazarus

Driving over a pothole is always a nuisance. Not only does it jolt you, but it also doesn’t exactly do your car the world of good. And yet, potholes are absolutely everywhere, ensuring our journeys are always filled with bumps and bangs. Soon, however, potholes may be exterminated.

A new invention called the ‘Dalek’ can fill potholes in less than two minutes, rather than the conventional time that it normally takes of an hour.

The ‘Dalek’ is a robotic arm that attaches to the front of a truck and fills potholes with tar and gravel at a rate 30 times faster than the standard methods normally used to fill up such holes.

The vehicle is being trialled in the UK for the first time in Bedfordshire, and if deemed successful will be used across the country.

It is currently used in America, and has been dubbed the ‘Pothole Killer’.

Like the Doctor Who Daleks, the machine has a robotic arm at the front which is controlled by the highway staff in their vehicle using a joystick.

It was reported earlier this month that it would cost £12 billion to fix Britain’s potholes.

One thought on “‘Dalek’ pothole killer that may save British roads

  1. Zakaria

    Bee – apologies for my tasinders to reply to this post. Salt is a big contributor to the problem but I think it also has a lot to do with traffic volume (trucks in particular) and paving technique. When they do roads these days they seem to put far smaller layers down than in the past, likely as asphalt is so much more expensive. I also think the climate has a lot to do with it. Places which tend to stay uniformly cold or warm will fare better. It is those places, such as NYC, where temperatures swing around the freezing point that suffer most as the rain water and snow melt seep into the cracks and then freeze, expand and cause larger and larger cracks. In Vermont they mostly throw down dirt and rocks on the roads and sand and sometimes salt on the sidewalks (not that there are many). I’ve considered saving the dirt that the dog and I bring in over the winter for flower pots in the spring; it’s amazing how much you can drag in with you.But I must ask, do they have frost heaves in Sweden? While in general this has not been a dreadful year, I have unfortunately gone on one mountain pass which had really, really, bad frost heaves. My front end will soon need realignment!

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