Ford's virtual map will help vehicles dodge bumps and dips

Costly car repairs caused by dangerous potholes could soon become a thing of the past. Ford has announced that it is working on a virtual pothole map that could be released later this year. The map would show drivers in real-time where potholes are, how bad they are, and suggest alternative routes. Engineers are researching the use of sensors, cameras and embedded Wi-fi systems at the Ford Research and Innovation Centre, in Aachen, Germany. They said these technologies could gather detailed information on the potholes and beam it to a virtual cloud – where it can be made available to other drivers – in real time.