Not Just Smart—Street Smart. SPOTTER: The AIoT Solution for Road Maintenance

SPOTTER, the latest innovation from Acumen Software, is a compact, AIoT solution that transforms any vehicle into a roaming road inspector - detecting, analysing, and reporting potholes in real time.

Unlike solutions that generate more admin without driving real results, SPOTTER is not a “fancy pacifier.” It’s a practical, powerful tool designed to create tangible change.

What sets SPOTTER apart is its smart design and seamless integration into our existing suite of products. Built with off-the-shelf components, the device is affordable, easy to assemble, and highly scalable. SPOTTER leverages machine vision and edge computing to process data locally, reducing device costs, while relying on our powerful ERP, Forcelink, to store and manage collected data centrally - moving costs away from the device.

SPOTTER also integrates with My Smart City, our citizen platform, for logging the issues that the devices detect. When issues are logged on My Smart City, which is also powered by Forcelink, citizens get a transparent view of the condition of their city whilst the collected data reports are sent to relevant councils for resolution. SPOTTER is the next layer of AI enhancement atop our existing technology that further streamlines the logging, verification and reporting processes.

SPOTTER, at its core, is a piece of hardware that enables us to reduce the burden placed on citizens by having to manually log issues. SPOTTER helps to automate these processes.

Designed for flexibility, this AIoT solution can be installed on any vehicle, whether it's a maintenance truck, a council vehicle, or a private fleet vehicle. It works quietly in the background, requiring no extra action from drivers. If one vehicle misses an issue, another equipped with SPOTTER will detect it - ensuring extensive coverage with minimal blind spots.

Currently, SPOTTER uses a wide-angle camera for advanced image processing and LiDAR for 3D surface profiling, however, the solution has been built with future adaptability in mind. SPOTTER can easily integrate with additional sensors and machine learning tools. Upcoming sensor integrations may include gas detectors, accelerometers, and infrared cameras, expanding its use far beyond just road maintenance.

Originally developed to address the growing pothole crisis in South Africa, the UK, and globally, SPOTTER was born out of a simple realisation: apps alone are not enough. Crowdsourced data can be inconsistent, duplicative, and imprecise. SPOTTER solves this with validated, structured data that delivers precise locations and problem specifications—providing municipalities and councils with a reliable ‘point of truth’.

Each city provides new issues, and SPOTTER is continually being trained to detect a variety of issues, such as, water pooling, graffiti, fly tipping and more, expanding its accuracy and value to both citizens and governments.

Small but powerful, SPOTTER is the future of cost-efficient smart infrastructure monitoring. With the proven support of Forcelink and My Smart City, it offers a scalable, automated, and data-driven approach to road and infrastructure management—saving time, reducing costs, and improving service delivery.