Inspection of tunnels, oil refineries and bridges will now be done by robots

Human inspection takes too much time. In the long run, this in turn leads to high costs. A solution to this has been found in the form of autonomous robots. The tasks of these robots include protecting critical infrastructure. “Stringent safety requirements make inspection and maintenance of infrastructure such as tunnels, oil refineries and bridges expensive and time-consuming,” SINTEF said in a press release.

Reducing costs

“The aim of the project is to reduce inspection time by 80 per cent compared to traditional methods,” says Henrik Lundkvist, Senior Research researcher and project manager for SINTEF’s contribution to the pilot project. “Another goal in using robotic technologies is to reduce inspection costs by at least 25 per cent,” says Lundkvist. The EU-funded Piloting project has developed 10 ground-based drones and robots that have now been tested under real operational conditions. In Greece, these tests were recently carried out.

Researchers have developed a ground-based robotic vehicle with an inspection camera and Lidar technology that will be used to take images and perform 3D measurements of infrastructure that is otherwise difficult to access. The vehicle is also equipped with a drone that can take detailed images if needed.

Collaborate

“We want to connect with more infrastructure owners and other companies working in the field of inspections, maintenance and autonomous vehicles,” says Lundkvist. “We are happy to demonstrate the system we have developed and offer testing opportunities. This allows other actors to assess how the system can be further developed and adapted to the specific challenges we face in Norway,” Lundkvist says.