App detects potholes, alerts Boston city officials

BOSTON — The next time your car hits a pothole, a new technology could help you immediately tell someone who can do something about it.

Boston officials are testing an app called Street Bump that allows drivers to automatically report the road hazards to the city, with their smartphones doing all the work.

Before they even start their trip, drivers using Street Bump fire up the app, then set their smartphones either on the dashboard or in a cup holder. The app takes care of the rest, sensing when a bump is hit. GPS records the location, and the phone transmits it to a remote server.

The app's developers say their work has already sparked interest from other cities in the U.S., Europe, Africa and elsewhere.