Unpiloted Systems
How unpiloted systems are changing the landscape for civil and structural engineers
By Josh Rayburn
Autonomy adds another layer. Modern unpiloted systems include robotics with sensors that can be deployed on a schedule and a specific path. At a certain time of the day, the system will activate the sensors and travel that path. This eliminates the potential introduction of human error, ensuring that a task happens as expected. The sensor data will be transmitted to an office on the same property or a thousand miles away, allowing engineers to monitor the jobsite without being on-site. The real benefit of unpiloted systems is their unprecedented insight and real-time data. Civil and structural engineers rely on data when making critical decisions on the jobsite, and it’s challenging, if not impossible, to make informed choices quickly when it might take days for a crew to schedule a time to survey a location. Autonomous reality capture technology has grown in importance in construction and renovation. Now, engineers can pull out a tablet, operate an unpiloted system, and gain instantaneous feedback. The data and scans obtained through this technology are critical to understanding an area’s architecture and infrastructure and how it changes over time.
Unpiloted systems continue transforming civil and structural engineering by improving efficiency, accuracy, and safety while empowering civil and structural engineers to control costs. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have captured much of the conversation. However, they are just one part of the equation. The construction industry is constantly looking for solutions to increase efficiency. As those conversations evolve, finding new ways to deploy unpiloted systems and autonomous reality capture, including the increased use of robotics, must be a part of that conversation. While professionals in any field often stick to the methods that have worked in the past, drones and unpiloted systems showed potential from their introduction, even if they were slow to catch on initially. Some users expressed concerns about the complexity of the solutions, the difficulty of learning to operate them, and the upfront cost of purchasing the technology. While relying on traditional approaches might sometimes be effective, civil and structural engineers can innovate and rethink their work. Drones have revolutionized the art of gathering jobsite data, especially as unpiloted systems have become more powerful, easier to use and more affordable, driving people to embrace technology. In the process, these new solutions are helping to create a safer job site for everyone.
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csengineermag.com
Summer 2024
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