Acoustic Asphalt Analyzer (A3) is a technology solution for detecting the different surface road conditions by analyzing the produced noise in the interaction of the tires with the road.

At its current development stage, it can discriminate between dry and wet road surfaces. It can also sort different types of surfaces according to its texture.

It can be applied to surface auscultation, regarding infrastructure maintenance: roads and airports, and also in vehicles as an active safety element.

“An electronic system, which is embedded on-board, for the detection of the weather road conditions by the acquisition and processing of the obtained acoustic signals”

• Transportation
• Currently, surface auscultation companies use different technologies in order to define the surface road conditions in roads, runways and airport platforms.
• The main disadvantage in some of them is the need of wheeling at low speed (
• It could be used to determine data regarding the road texture, with lower costs and with a use speed which is similar to the road traffic.
• ITC Mobility, smart transportation systems: Active safety in vehicles, connected vehicles, unmanned vehicles.
• It can be used in vehicles in order to make real-time estimations of surface road conditions: dry, wet, frozen surface, notifying it to the driver.
• By communication systems, it can send the information to the infrastructure manager and other connected vehicles, having real-time information about the surface conditions in its whole length.

• Road infrastructure maintenance
• It is a sector which has a turnover of M€ 1000 per year in Spain. It is expected to grow after a minimum in 2014.
• Most of the investment is used in the reparation and improvement of the road surfaces. The surface ausculation is one of the main elements in the decision-making process. Some of the current methods are slow and expensive. The development of A3 would provide alternative methods for surface auscultation, faster and cheaper per km.
•  Road Safety
• In 2014 there was 1131 deaths and 4874 seriously injured because of traffic accidents. Each death generates costs of M€ 1,4 and each seriously injured € 300000.
• Car companies show a growing interest in investing in active safety, connected vehicles and unmanned vehicles.

• At its current development stage, A3 can discriminate between dry and wet road surfaces.
• It can also sort different types of surfaces according to its texture.
• In future developments it will be able to determine, at normal traffic speeds, the surface textures, the slip resistance and the sideway force coefficient, critical factors in road safety with wet surfaces.

“A3 will allow to know the surface road conditions in real-time and provide data to the infrastructure manager, other drivers and the driver himself”