'High speed doctor' helps to speed up the long way in Japan

In keeping with the pace of road upgrades and infrastructure in Tokyo, Japan is hoping for "speedy doctors" (cars equipped with cameras) to help them complete the task.

According to CGTN, Tokyo's expressway is 320 km long and has been degraded over time. This 50-year-old road was built in 1964 to host the 18th Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Expressway in Japan.

By 2020, Tokyo will once again host the Summer Games. This is an honor but also a race for the capital of Japan to upgrade the old and degraded roads.

To catch up with the pace, the Metropolitan Expressway has developed a technology that allows for the detection of breakpoints on the road. By sending cars equipped with cameras and laser sensors on the roof , similar to Google Street View, they get a picture of every corner of the highway. Such cars are referred to as "high speed physicians".

"We can easily spot spots that are continuing to deteriorate as well as those that have been repaired before," said Masaaki Sakuma, a Metropolitan Expressway employee.

A "speed doctor" on duty in Japan.

The data collected will be sent to the company's headquarters where professionals use a special software to reproduce the 3D image of the road. As a result, the damaged spots on the road can be accurately identified. Finally, they just sent a test team to the point of failure was pointed out.

According to experts, this also helps solve the problem of human resources crisis is extremely severe. Japan's population of 127 million is aging and shrinking.

Japan is also targeting the export of this fast-fixing system . In Thailand, a similar system is being tested.