Are We Ignoring the Most Critical Predictive Maintenance of All?
Industry 5.0 Holds the Blueprint to Save Our Lungs – Here’s How!
In an era defined by Industry 5.0 – the human-centric convergence of AI, IoT, smart materials, and data-driven resilience – we have the unprecedented ability to transform our crumbling road infrastructure into living, breathing systems that protect public health and enhance quality of life. But are we leveraging this potential fast enough? The answer will shape not only cityscapes but the very breath we take every day.
Every breakthrough in personal predictive health – the wearables that monitor our hearts, the AI that anticipates illness – teaches us one critical lesson: early detection and proactive care save lives. Yet, outside our homes and offices, the roads beneath our wheels receive no such care. Dust clouds from damaged asphalt silently choke millions. Cracks left untreated become hazards, spreading pollution and risking lives.
Industry 5.0 offers us a blueprint for change. With IoT sensors embedded in roadways, AI-powered analytics for predictive maintenance, and innovative materials that self-heal and reduce dust, we can stop the slow erosion of our civic health. This is not theoretical – it’s actionable, measurable, and transformative.
This blog explores how, as leaders and citizens, we must move beyond blame and embrace a collective responsibility to apply this technology-driven foresight to the very streets that sustain our lives.
Every year – sophisticated sensors in our watches, shoes, and smartphones track our steps, measure our heartbeats, and gently remind us to breathe deep. Preventive and predictive health is the mantra for modern living – we invest in gym memberships, medical checkups, and “wearables” to spot trouble before it breaks us. We know: If you don’t maintain the system, the system fails you when you need it most.
But step outside your health-metric-enabled home and everything changes. The road beneath your feet or tires – crumbling, neglected, forgotten – becomes a silent adversary. Fine dust chokes the air, seeps into lungs, settles into bloodstreams, and silently chips away at lives. The World Health Organization warns that over 4.2 million deaths each year are linked to ambient air pollution, much of it rooted in poor urban infrastructure and dust from broken roads.
The Hidden Illness Under Our Wheels
We are taught to blame the car—and certainly, emissions must fall. But the silent killer is the dust that rises with every passing vehicle, kicked up from roads that should have been rebuilt years ago but weren’t. In India’s megacities and beyond, air quality regularly soars into “hazardous” territory, even in the absence of industrial smog or crop burning! It’s the roads, not just the vehicles, that are quietly shortening our breaths, one day at a time.
- Traffic congestion and poor roads are not just logistical annoyances – they drive stress, anxiety, and even depression among commuters and families.
- Patients with asthma and children forced to limit outdoor play suffer measurable harm – productivity falls, healthcare costs rise, and lives are quite literally shortened.
The Industry 5.0 Solution: Predict, Prevent, Protect – For All
Industry 5.0 is about re-centering technology where it matters – people. We have the tools: sensors in roads as well as in watches, AI platforms that flag risk in asphalt as easily as they flag risk in ECGs. In fact, cities piloting IoT-based predictive maintenance have cut road repair costs by 30% and dramatically improved air quality and safety. Smart, data-driven infrastructure is not just a technophile’s dream—it is a public health imperative.
The Call to Action: Let’s Move Beyond Sympathy
This is about more than infrastructure – it is about dignity, health, and the possibility of a full life for every commuter, child, and elder. Every expert on urban air and health, from WHO to local clinics, agrees: cleaning our civic “arteries” is as critical as keeping our personal arteries clear.
We already know how to do it. The question isn’t technical ability – it’s collective will. And every board member, civic leader, and technologist has a seat at this table.
References:
https://eiscouncil.org/the-psy
https://www.openvia.io/5-techn
https://adenikeadenaya.com/202
About the Author :
Dr. Preeti Jain
Director – Finance Forecasting & Planning Reinvention
Accenture
Technology strategist and leader, Dr. Preeti Jain is driven by a simple yet powerful mission: to redefine how global enterprises operate at the intersection of AI, analytics, and innovation. Her isn’t just about implementing new tech, it’s about architecting the future of work itself. She specializes in translating visionary concepts into measurable, high-impact outcomes, particularly in large-scale transformations delivery.
Dr. Preeti Jain is a firm believer that the next wave of business value won’t come from incremental improvements, but from a radical rethinking of core processes. This is why Dr. Preeti Jain is focused on embedding Gen x Agentic AI into the very fabric of business, pioneering new ways for teams to leverage next-gen tools for unprecedented efficiency and insight.
Dr. Preeti Jain leadership philosophy is built on the principles of purpose-driven innovation and constructive d!sruption. Dr. Preeti Jain empower teams to move beyond conventional thinking and embrace new technologies as catalysts for growth and positive change.
Beyond the Corporate Sphere, Dr. Preeti Jain is an author, speaker, and civic advocate, passionate about shaping a smarter, more inclusive future.
Dr. Preeti Jain insights on Industry 4.0/ 5.0 technologies, advanced business analytics, AI/ML, including her first-author publications in A-category journals, and recognition as an International Icon 2025, Young Achiever in Women LeadHERship, reflect a deep commitment to sharing knowledge and advancing the conversation.
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