Bridge Inspection by Drone: What are the Perspectives?

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In the series of articles labeled 'R&D,' we invite you to delve deeper into the research projects we are developing at Altametris. In this article, discover the research project focusing on bridge inspection by drone.

The Challenge of Bridge Inspection by Drone

Drones (or UAVs for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have always been at the core of our activities (equipped with sensors, they are one of Altametris' preferred data collection vectors), and they constitute an essential tool for conducting certain inspection missions.

Our main ambition is to address the challenge of inspecting inaccessible areas of railway infrastructures quickly and agilely.

Thanks to low-altitude flights, drone technology ensures very high-resolution data (on the order of a few centimeters) over relatively large areas (up to a few tens of square kilometers) with an overlap between images of about 60/70%. It also offers significant repeatability and the advantage of being quickly operational in the field, with a non-intrusive, non-capacitive intervention, and rapid deployment.

The techniques, technologies, and methods deployed

Our R&D efforts in this field enable us to conduct studies and analyses of drone technologies with the aim of qualifying and industrializing future drone systems, which we test during field missions for the inspection of bridges or railway infrastructures.

However, transitioning from local drone experiments to the development and definition of future automated systems requires the design of enduring, usable, and reliable technologies, regardless of technical means and external conditions (installation status, traffic conditions, residential areas, weather, etc.).

Results and Development Perspectives

Altametris is actively involved in various research programs with ONERA, a long-standing scientific partner, during which innovative drone solutions (vehicles, sensors, and data processing solutions) are designed for specific applications in monitoring the national railway network (rail tracks, catenaries, surroundings) over long distances, as well as for inspecting facilities (stations, railway maintenance centers, glass roofs, metal structures, bridges, trains).

Furthermore, as a certified training organization, we provide theoretical and practical drone pilot training for agents.During their training, Altametris provides state-of-the-art equipment for their inspections. We handle the administrative flight authorizations (an average of 672 requests per year) and manage insurance policies. In 2022, 31 agents benefited from Altametris' expertise in this training program.

Did you find this article interesting? Would you like to learn more about this project? Are you interested in receiving assistance with creating your industrial digital twin?