Road

Researchers have demonstrated how patterns of string carefully laid out by robotic arms can be used to bind asphalt together in place of environmentally damaging bitumen, resulting in greener roads that are also easier to recycle after use.

After wastewater such as sewage has been processed at water treatment plants, a sandy grit is typically left over. And while that grit usually ends up in landfills, it could soon instead be used in a more eco-friendly pothole repair material.

A team of engineers in Australia has come up with a new recipe for a road construction material that draws on two huge sources of waste, while offering the strength and flexibility required to handle heavy traffic.

The Swedish Transport Administration has just opened a 2-km (1.2-mi) stretch of electrified road that works like slot cars. The project, dubbed eRoadArlanda, involves embedding electric rails into the road surface to power electric vehicles through a contact arm hanging down from under the car.

It's getting to the point where it seems like adding a dash of graphene can improve just about anything. The latest example is something you probably wouldn't expect to benefit from the addition of the wonder material – asphalt.

Ford has taken to solving the problem of potholes by creating a suspension system that reads the road and prepares the car's dampers for the hit, making for a smooth ride in the cabin.

Startup Addibots is looking to help cut the man hours required to maintain our cities, wheeling out a roving 3D printing robot it imagines will scoot around town mending dodgy road surfaces.

Besides the fact that road salt gets all over our cars and clothing, it also has to be reapplied throughout the winter, harming the environment in the process. If a new type of asphalt reaches production, however, salt-spreading may become a thing of the past.​

Technology to power electric vehicles wirelessly from under the road surface is about to be trialed in the UK. Highways England has announced that it plans to carry out off-road (test track) trials with a view to carrying out subsequent on-road trials. The technology would increase the range of EVs.

Jaguar Land Rover claims that potholes cause £2.8 billion (US$4.3 billion) worth of damage every year in Britain alone. Now the car company is developing the Pothole Alert system, which can not only identify the location and severity of potholes, but can also warn other vehicles about them.

Drivers on a road in the Netherlands are now being guided by glow-in-the-dark road markings. The N329 in Oss is being used to pilot the concept, which is part of the Smart Highway project by Heijmans and Studio Roosegaarde. Glowing Lines is aimed at increasing visibility and safety.

Genty has updated and uprated the design of its 2015 Akylone hypercar concept to provide even more power, with a 366 CID V8 with twin turbos that promises to put out more than 1,200 bhp, and provide the Akylone with a blistering 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 2.7 seconds.