Minnesota to implement drones for bridge inspections

摘要

The Department of Transportation in the US state of Minnesota intends to let a statewide contract for bridge inspections carried out by unmanned aircraft systems, following the conclusion of its research into drone technology next month (June). Staff at the state DOT are currently in the second phase of a research project that started last summer, which includes compiling a best-practice document for the use of drones to inspect bridges. The intention of investigating this technology is both to reduce the cost of bridge inspections and to improve their guality; the DOT is responsible for around 20,000 bridges and employs some 600 bridge inspectors statewide. The use of drones is expected to minimise the risks for bridge inspectors, who typically use roped-access systems and special inspection vehicles to inspect hard-to-reach areas.