Drones are already changing the landscape of how we monitor infrastructure in major ways. The benefits of using a UAS in various types of inspections were shown early on, with the biggest being there would not be a need to rent an expensive equipment or risk putting a worker in harms way. Drones are now being used all over the world to conduct inspections of bridges, cell phone towers, powerlines, and more. Check out the video below created by Intel showing how drones are providing a safer alternative for traditional bridge inspections.
Drones are projected to be applied even more in maintaining infrastructure. As of March 2018, a study conducted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials found that the Department of Transportation in 35 states were already using drones for a variety of different purposes. One of the many benefits of using drones to do inspections of roadways, bridges and powerlines is that the work can be completed without interfering with traffic, resulting in major cost savings and increased safety for workers.
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Percent of US States using drones for inspections
According to constructiondive.com, contractors and construction companies have increased the use of drones on sites by 240% from 2017 to 2018. The most common applications of these operations have been job progress tracking and communications. With these increases, it is safe to assume that within the next few years we will start seeing drones being used more frequently in our every day lives to make infrastructure and inspection jobs safer and more cost-effective for all involved.
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