A UAV inspection is a type of aerial assessment that uses unmanned aircraft systems to gather data and information about various objects and structures. These systems are highly sophisticated and use advanced technologies, such as cameras and sensors, to collect data from a variety of perspectives. By combining this information with other datasets, such as geospatial data or sensor readings, UAV inspections can provide extensive overviews of different areas and help detect potential issues or irregularities. Additionally, these inspections can be conducted quickly and efficiently, allowing them to be used in a wide range of applications from emergency response to commercial mapping and even bridge inspection services. Overall, UAV inspections represent an exciting new way to enhance our understanding of the world around us through the power of cutting-edge technology.
What Does UAV Mean?
UAV stands for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. This can be a drone, remote plane or any other aerial vehicle that is remotely controlled.
Is a Drone a UAV?
Yes, a drone is a UAV, known as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Can you use UAVs for bridge inspections?
Yes, it is possible to use UAVs for bridge inspections. Traditional bridge inspections often involve teams of engineers walking along the bridge, checking for any signs of damage or wear. This process can be dangerous, requiring workers to climb on unstable structures and walk across uneven surfaces. Thanks to recent advances in drone technology, however, bridge inspections can now be safely carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles. These UAVs are able to easily navigate areas that are difficult for people to access, such as tight corners or small openings. What’s more, they can take high-resolution images and video footage, allowing inspectors to closely examine every inch of a bridge for signs of wear or damage. As such, UAVs have emerged as a powerful tool for conducting safe and efficient bridge inspections.
What are the benefits of a UAV?
There are several benefits of using a UAV over manned operations. Some of the more beneficial reasons are as follows:
Improved safety
Using a drone is the safest way to be able to complete an inspection of dangerous and hard to reach areas such as roofs. It removes the need to be on the roof in the first place which significantly reduces the risk of performing the inspection.
Cost efficiency
Using drones to complete your inspections can dramatically save the time it takes to do the job. In some cases there is no need to physically complete an inspection, instead you are flying around using the drone to cover all areas.
Time efficiency
When comparing traditional inspection methods to using drones, drones smash traditional methods in efficiency. Instead of setting up ladders, safety barriers or using plant equipment like boom lifts all of that is replaced by a simple off the shelf drone. You can complete inspection much faster than using drones.
Flexibility
Flying vs being on the ground gives you much more flexibility. Being able to zip around and fly from one side of the site to another in seconds provides you as the inspector with so much more flexibility. Comparing that to being in a boom lift or on foot you do not have the efficiency that drones have when it comes to flexibility. This is especially helpful when inspecting a bridge and helps with the elements of importance of bridge inspections. These UAVs are able to easily navigate areas that are difficult for people to access, such as tight corners or small openings.
Quality data
Being able to cover every inch of a structure or building when completing an inspection is great but increasing the quality of data at the same time is priceless. No area is off limits when using drones which allows you to take high resolution photos and videos of any area increasing the quality of your data.
Why use a UAV Instead of Helicopter?
In most cases drones will be cheaper than using traditional methods like helicopters. There are a number of cases where using a drone or UAV makes more sense…
Safety
Using a drone is always going to be a safer option compared to a helicopter. Instead of flying hundreds of metres in the air usually with no door on and the only thing stopping you from falling out of the helicopter is a car seat belt you can see how a drone is a safer option…
Accessibility
You sure can’t fly a Helicopter close enough to the ground to get high enough resolution for specific spots on a building. If you are planning on doing a facade inspection then a helicopter isn’t going to be the way to go.
Cost effective
Using drones compared to helicopters reduces the cost overall. Instead of paying hundreds to thousands of dollars per hour to use a helicopter, the only cost to use a drone is the cost of the electricity to charge the batteries.