Because countries are interconnected, people travel more, and businesses expand in multiple countries, the world has become a global village. These things happen at an increasing rate, and our infrastructure must keep up with them to remain competitive on the worldwide stage. A modern and safe infrastructure is essential to ensure that our ports can handle the new deep-water cargo ship. This will prevent goods from being transported quickly from factories to shipyards, as well as people not arriving on time to work. Without a modern, safe infrastructure, it is impossible to grow and develop today more than ever.
America’s transportation network was expanded by building roads, bridges, and other structures in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, inspection and maintenance have not kept up with the growth of these structures. Many facilities reached the end of their useful lives years ago. Traffic loads today are ten times greater than they were at the time these structures were constructed. They are now subject to increased traffic loads, which causes them to wear more. Antiquated inspection methods have led to corrosion and deterioration that has outpaced repair. This deterioration means that we have to look for alternatives to re-building or to replace these structures. It is simply not possible to pay for all bridges that are in disrepair.
What modern technology and robotics could do to revive infrastructure?
The proactive use of technology and robotics can help maintain our infrastructure. If you have symptoms of a disease, you can treat it quickly and get your health back. Similar to this, we can repair minor damage to a structure before it becomes a significant threat.
Modern technology is a critical component in determining the condition of the structure and identifying any deformities. This technology accurately evaluates the condition of structures like bridges, roads, dams, and tunnels in a non-destructive manner. Traditional methods, or the more current and outdated methods, inspect selected areas. These are known as lot sampling. Samples are taken through destructive processes such as coring and cutting. These areas are further corroded by being exposed to moisture and air after they have been cut or cored.
It is time to make infrastructure inspections and monitoring more efficient. Modern technology and robotics allow us to improve the accuracy of our inspection processes. Modern robotics can be integrated into the inspection process to provide more quantitative information, prevent lane closings, increase safety for both inspectors and the public, and accurately assess the infrastructure they inspect.
Robotics and modern technology offer many benefits over traditional methods for infrastructure inspection and maintenance. Here are some of the help:
* The bridge will remain open for business as usual.
* No need to conduct night inspections
* Safety of inspection crews and public increased
* Quantitative results are preferred over subjective results
* Site data analysis in real-time
* The structure condition data history can be saved for detailed analysis later.
* Accurate assessment of sub-, super- and surface conditions
* Locate rebar and determine concrete cover density without damaging the surface
* Locate any cracks, voids or water intrusions on the surface. Visualize it using 2D and 3-D illustrations
• Reduce labour costs and save time
Robotic equipment can be used to collect data from high altitudes and from all angles.
* Inspect every part of the structure thoroughly. This will help you to find more problems than visual inspection.
* Recommends and prioritizes the repair work
Modern technology and robotics can be used to ensure safety for staff and the public during road and bridge inspections and to produce accurate condition assessments reports to the Department of transportation as well as bridge owners. We can extend the life span of critical infrastructure assets by providing quantitative data to the DOT in order to allocate them correctly and save billions on untimely replacements.
Technology alone is not sufficient. Robotics and certified bridge inspectors will provide asset managers with a better deliverable than they have ever had before. This method of conducting bridge inspections will not only lower the cost of reviews of other structures but also provide the quantitative information that the department of transport needs to allocate resources.
