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September 3, 2017

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A ‘highway doctor’

AS Japan takes on the mammoth task of upgrading the capital’s outdated roads and infrastructure, a local “highway doctor” is betting that its 3D technology can lend a hand.

Tokyo’s sprawling maze of aging expressways, stretching 320 kilometers, has long been crying out for a facelift. Metropolitan Expressway has developed just the tools. It sends out cars equipped with cameras and laser sensors on their roof ­— similar to Google’s Street View service.

“We can easily detect the spots where there is ongoing damage,” said Masaaki Sakuma a company executive. The data is transmitted back to company headquarters technicians create 3D images that help pinpoint problems much quicker than the time-consuming method of sending out road crews for on-site inspections.

It also helps deal with a shortage of workers. An aging population of 127 million is shrinking in Japan.




 

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