Modern infrastructure management is under growing pressure. Ageing roads, tight budgets, and increasing community expectations mean that councils and transport agencies need more efficient and proactive approaches to road inspections. Traditional manual inspections, while effective in the past, are resource-intensive, infrequent, and sometimes hazardous for staff working in live traffic environments.

That’s where NEC’s Kurumie platform comes in. Designed to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven insights, Kurumie transforms how road inspections are conducted. Rather than replacing existing processes outright, it enhances them, making road asset management safer, smarter, and more cost-effective.

Here are five keyways Kurumie sets a new standard for road inspection efficiency.

Leverages Existing Vehicles

One of the biggest barriers to adopting new technologies in road maintenance is cost. Procuring specialised vehicles for inspections can be prohibitively expensive. Kurumie sidesteps this problem by working with the vehicles councils and agencies already own.

With simple dash-mounted cameras installed on garbage trucks, buses, or council fleet cars already out on the road, Kurumie continuously collects data on road conditions. This innovation turns everyday vehicles into roaming inspection units, dramatically lowering the barrier to entry and delivering immediate value without major capital investment.

Scales with Your Needs

Every council or agency faces different challenges. Some manage small regional road networks, while others oversee vast metropolitan systems. Kurumie has been designed with this flexibility in mind.

Agencies can begin with a limited deployment, a pilot on a few routes, for example, and scale up as benefits become clear. The same system can then be rolled out across entire networks, expanding capacity without disrupting operations. This scalability ensures Kurumie fits seamlessly into existing asset management frameworks, whether for a single municipality or a multi-region authority.

Enhances Safety for Staff

Manual inspections often require workers to step out onto busy roads, placing them at risk of live traffic incidents. Kurumie dramatically reduces this exposure. By capturing data continuously from vehicles already in motion, the platform cuts down on the number of times staff need to physically enter traffic environments.

This not only improves occupational health and safety outcomes but also reassures teams that their well-being is being prioritised. In an era where safety is paramount for both workers and the community, this is a significant advantage.

Fuels Smarter, Data-Driven Decisions

The real power of Kurumie lies not just in the collection of data, but in how that data is used. Traditional inspections may only occur quarterly or annually, leading to gaps in knowledge. Kurumie enables frequent, objective, and automated inspections, feeding high-quality data directly into asset management systems.

This gives councils and agencies the intelligence they need to identify issues earlier, prioritise repairs more effectively, and allocate budgets with precision. Instead of reacting to problems after they’ve escalated, or waiting for community complaints, agencies can take proactive measures, extending the lifespan of their infrastructure while reducing long-term costs.

Drives Public Confidence

At a time when communities expect transparency and responsiveness, Kurumie helps agencies build trust. By identifying and addressing defects before they generate public complaints, councils demonstrate accountability and proactive management.

This not only reduces frustration among residents but also strengthens the relationship between agencies and the communities they serve. Over time, this visible improvement in service delivery contributes to stronger public confidence in local and state infrastructure authorities.

Real-World Impact: Toyota City’s Smart Road Strategy

The advantages of Kurumie are not theoretical, they are already being realised in practice. Toyota City in Japan has become a showcase for smarter infrastructure management through its adoption of Kurumie.

By equipping its road patrol fleet with the platform, Toyota City achieved a marked increase in defect detection rates and maintenance response times. The system allowed the city to reduce the risks and costs associated with traditional inspection methods while building a proactive approach to asset management.

Importantly, this initiative also supported Toyota City’s broader smart city goals, integrating road condition monitoring into a larger ecosystem of data-driven urban planning. Kurumie has since been trusted by more than 50 Japanese municipalities, proving its reliability and scalability across diverse regions.

Smarter Roads, Smarter Cities

The future of road inspections doesn’t have to involve trade-offs between cost, safety, and efficiency. With NEC’s Kurumie platform, agencies can achieve all three, while positioning themselves as leaders in smart infrastructure management.

For transport leaders facing tightening budgets, rising community expectations, and growing infrastructure demands, Kurumie is more than just a tool. It’s a step into the future of proactive, intelligent asset management.

Discover how Kurumie could work for your city or region