Health monitoring of bridges using rpas

The ever-changing dynamics of infrastructure asset management and the success of accommodating to these transformations is largely in credit of adopting different technologies and methods of construction, health monitoring and maintenance. The application of drones is one such technology, favored for their features of safety, functionality and sustainability in the processes of infrastructure health monitoring. Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPAs) commonly known as drones have been acknowledged as the next great technology in civil infrastructure inspection. However, very limited research has been done to prove the advantages of the technology such as safety, effectiveness and cost savings. Building this bank of proof is essential for bridge authorities looking to improve bridge health monitoring into the 21st century. Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPAs) offer considerablepotential in conducting visual inspection with high level of accuracy and minimum risk to bridge inspectors, allowing a bridge to be inspected without the need to use under-bridge inspection units or walk across the deck. This can pointedly reduce the overall inspection costs and disruption caused to the public. Furthermore, utilisation of Aerial Photogrammetry assists bridge engineers to better understand a situation through the 3D spatial context offered by RPAs.