Drones have become much more commonplace for utility and infrastructure inspections in recent years. What used to be a difficult, time-consuming, expensive, and dangerous task has been greatly improved by leveraging drone and payload technologies. Read on to find out how.
1. Drones Improve Inspection Safety
The most important part of any inspection is safety. Previously, most inspections were done manually. For bridges, wind turbines, cell towers, and other tall structures, this could require people dangling from ropes or cables for hours at a time, visually reviewing every aspect. Drones can do the same work faster and more accurately with the operator safely on the ground.
2. Drone Inspections Cost Less
Cost is another important factor in determining how to perform an inspection. Several factors that define how much an inspection costs include liability and time needed to perform the inspections.
Companies should not overlook the liability associated with the use of manned inspections, as outlined above. If a worker is hurt on the job, workers’ compensation premiums can go up. Also, consider the time that the worker is not able to perform their duties. Someone else may need to be trained or income from services to be performed may be lost.
In addition to lowering liability, drone flights can reduce the cost of inspections by gathering more data in less time. A drone can easily reach the item to be inspected. It does not require special scaffolding to be erected, special equipment to be rented, or traffic to be blocked and re-routed.
Furthermore, drones can also be pre-programmed to fly repeat flights. The time associated with getting to, setting up, and performing the inspection is greatly reduced with planned missions.
A study by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) outlines the calculated cost savings when comparing manned inspections to drone inspections:
- Aerial photography projects saw a 3 times savings cost
- Gravel pit surveys benefitted from a 2 times cost savings
Other studies have found similar cost savings:
- Cushing, Oklahoma realized a $4,000 cost savings for aerial photography per oil storage construction site
- DistribuTECH estimated a halving of inspection costs for power lines
3. Get Better Results in Less Time
Not only does time translate directly to costs, but it can also mean the difference between identifying problems before they turn into much larger issues.
Obviously, catching problems too late can have far-reaching and potentially catastrophic consequences. If a construction manager can detect a discrepancy between as-designed and as-built before the project is too far along, backtracking to fix the issue will cost far less.
One example of extreme time savings for inspections is that a wind turbine inspection typically takes 3-4 hours to complete but can be accomplished using a drone in just 45 minutes or less.
4. Drones Provide Superior Inspection Data
Inspections are only worth doing if they are being done accurately. Drones not only perform inspections more quickly and cheaply, they also provide an increased level of accuracy. Because traditional inspections take place with primarily visible reviews that may be augmented by infrared cameras on occasion, drones commonly carry a suite of sensors that can provide data acquisition to deliver the most accurate possible analysis. These sensors include visible cameras, infrared cameras, LIDAR, radar, sonar, hyperspectral imagers, and many others depending on the task being performed.
5. Data Persistence
Traditionally, inspection data was captured in written reports and photos the inspectors may have taken. This kind of data is not searchable. It cannot be easily stored in a database to be leveraged the latest algorithms. With drone payload technology, the complete data from every inspection can be stored indefinitely in a digital format. While this data is obviously important for training purposes, it can also serve as a valuable tool in the event that there is a problem found in the inspection.
Drone inspections commonly use multiple sensors such as visible and infrared cameras, hyperspectral image sensors, GPS and environmental data as well as occasionally LIDAR or Radar. The data they collect is in a digital format, available to be processed with computer technology. It is available to be leveraged by future technology and can track changes over time. Machine learning and algorithms can detect anomalies and trends that can help prevent problems from getting bigger. Data persistence allows for more accurate inspections and safer, more reliable infrastructure going forward.
Vision Aerial Drones for Inspections
Vision Aerial has been producing drones for inspections since 2014. We have plenty of experience and experts on staff who can help you decide on the right system for your application. Learn more about the systems we recommend for inspection applications.
If you have questions or need detailed technical advice, please contact us.
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