In the field of operation and maintenance of infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, and high-rise buildings, industrial drones, with their high-precision inspection capabilities and flexibility, have become "aerial inspection instruments" for ensuring engineering safety. Infrastructure inspection drones are equipped with 4K ultra-high-definition cameras, laser vibration meters, and 3D modeling systems, which can conduct millimeter-level inspections of potential hazards such as concrete cracks (with a minimum identification of 0.1mm), corrosion of steel structures, and wear of bridge cables. Their foldable fuselage design makes them easy to carry, and they can hover at low altitudes in confined spaces (such as the bottom of bridges and the dome of tunnels) to obtain key data that is difficult to reach through traditional manual inspections.
The intelligent inspection process of drones supports fully automated operation: By importing inspection points through a BIM model, the system automatically plans the flight route, and the drone flies close to the surface of the structure according to the preset trajectory, and real-time transmits high-definition images and vibration data back. The AI algorithm can automatically identify defects such as the expansion trend of cracks and loose bolts, generate a visual inspection report, and achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy. In bridge inspections, a single drone can cover a 5-kilometer bridge deck and its structures in a single day, increasing the efficiency by more than 300% compared with manual high-altitude inspections, and also avoiding the risks of high-altitude operations.
Compared with traditional inspection methods, the core advantages of drone inspections lie in "non-contact, full-view, and data-driven": There is no need to set up scaffolding or use inspection vehicles, and it is not restricted by weather (light rain, wind below level 6) and terrain. The inspection data can be archived and compared for a long time, providing a dynamic basis for the full-life cycle management of infrastructure. For example, in the operation and maintenance of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, a cluster of drones regularly inspects the joints of the immersed tubes in the undersea tunnel, and cooperates with the sonar system to achieve integrated monitoring of land, water, and air, ensuring the long-term safety of this super project. With the acceleration of the urbanization process, infrastructure inspection drones will play a crucial role in the construction of smart cities, safeguarding the safety of every bridge and building with technological strength, and promoting the transformation of engineering operation and maintenance from "experience-based judgment" to "data-driven".
