Accelerometers in consumer electronics have already shown value far beyond their manufacturers ever intended -- but did you ever think your car's beleaguered suspension system would be the benefactor? Officials in Boston are toying around with an experimental smartphone app called Street Bump that's tuned to keep an eye out for potholes as you drive; when it detects a disturbance in the force, it makes note of the location. No word on when Bostonians will benefit from the fruits of Street Bump's labor, but the developers will be using this spring and summer's post-freeze pothole season to fine-tune the algorithm so that it can differentiate between, say, a gaping crater in the road and your poor driving skills (just kidding, we're sure you're a fine driver).
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
