The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s CARBIN app* allows drivers to measure road quality and sustainability factors in their area. Recent improvements in the app have enhanced this automatized system, which can be easily used to extract information on the quality of roads and their environmental impact at the city, state, or country scale. The CARBIN app VISION: Carbin is going to be the first smart GPS navigation app with a heartbeat monitor for BOTH the road and your vehicle. Data collected over time will help us add 3 driving options to Carbin’s navigation:
(1) CHEAPEST route -> minimizing your cost of fuel consumption-based quality of roads and traffic, tolls and any possible damage to your vehicle’s suspension due to quality of roads.
(2) LUXURIOUS route -> maximizing the quality of your ride with the best quality roads with minimal traffic.
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL/GREEN route -> minimizing emission levels with lowest fuel consumption.
MIT reminds users using to place their phones in a stable position before they start driving.
ABOUT the app: Carbin is in development stage and over the course of next several months the app is going to undergo many design changes, which will provide you with valuable feedback throughout and after the trip. Carbin will be able to monitor your vehicle’s suspension in real-time -> how your vehicle responds to different road conditions and if any of the suspension parts need replacement. It will also tell you if there is anything wrong with your tires. Carbin needs drivers’ help in acquiring a large network of data in order to deploy its machine learning algorithms to derive information needed to achieve 3 new driving options and to be able to monitor the performance of your vehicle’s suspension, for safety, and to save drivers money on repairs.
In addition, with derived values, Carbin is building a road quality and CO2-saving potential maps for the entire world. After using the app, be sure to check the results from your data inputs, as well as others who are contributing to this project by visiting the “Fix My Road” website. For more information on this global initiative, please click on the link below for the “Fix My Road” initiative website (currently optimized for only desktop viewing).
VIDEO
The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) also has a videotaped presentation on the “Fix My Road” initiative, including details about the Carbin smartphone app, a crowd-sourced tool that is building an ever-increasing amount of information about the condition of the world’s highways and roads. For the VIDEO titled “Fix My Road: How Your Smartphone Can Improve Our Infrastructure While Addressing Climate Change”, please see link at bottom.
HOW it works: Use it as any other GPS navigation app. Search for place and then click “DRIVE”. Or if you want to record data without navigating click “RECORD”. Please remember that data is only recorded when you drive, and be sure to place your phone in a fixed position before you start driving—a phone holder, cup holder, dashboard compartment, floor, etc.
DATA collected: Data is ONLY shared when you press “Record”, or you start navigating. Files that you share can be easily viewed by exporting them from the “Downloads” section. Information shared include ONLY: GPS position and X, Y, Z, accelerations. Carbin requires no personal information to use the app and data shared is fully anonymous.
To participate, start driving with Carbin today!
Links of the app and other helpful links:
The Apple Store for iPhones (And website reference for copy from this ISCP article): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carbin/id1451444581
and the Google Play Store for Android phones (And website reference for copy from this ISCP article): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carbin.carbin2
“Fix My Road” initiative website (currently optimized for only desktop viewing): http://www.fixmyroad.us
For the VIDEO “Fix My Road: How Your Smartphone Can Improve Our Infrastructure While Addressing Climate Change”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfrVlUnyWoM&t=1386s
* Please note: MIT will not collect your personnel information; the app “sees” each phone only as an anonymous, randomly assigned number that cannot be linked to any personal data.