Asphalt that can self-repair has been created with the help of Google's artificial intelligence
A group of scientists from Great Britain and Chile has presented a new self-healing road surface. This material is inspired by the natural regeneration mechanisms observed in trees and some animals.
Self-healing asphalt
Researchers used artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to analyze complex organic liquids, including compounds found in bitumen. This led to the creation of a new model that allows for the acceleration of atomic-level modeling processes. Additionally, Google Cloud technology assisted in analyzing chemical properties and creating virtual molecules.
Today, such an approach is used in the pharmaceutical industry for drug development. Laboratory tests have shown that the new asphalt can eliminate small cracks in just one hour. This efficiency is achieved thanks to natural microcapsules derived from recycled materials – spores and healing components.
In the future, this technology is expected to help reduce the costs of maintaining road infrastructure. Due to the decrease in the need for repairs, self-healing asphalt is being considered as an environmentally and economically beneficial solution.