For Aging Bridges, UAB Engineer Wants to Send in the Drones
Many of Alabama’s bridges are in bad shape. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are about 16,000 structurally deficient bridges in Alabama. It’s a problem here and across the country. Many of the bridges are just old, and many were built when traffic and cars were lighter. But inspecting bridges takes time, skill and money. Now, a University of Alabama at Birmingham engineering professor is using a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a solution using drones.
Practicalities
It takes a long time to inspect any good-sized bridge, and there aren’t enough specialists or budget dollars to do them all. UAB engineering professor Nassim Uddin says that’s dangerous.
“We see a number of collapse of bridges recently, in Minneapolis, in Washington and so forth.”
Uddin says inspections become trickier and are required more frequently as bridges age. But he thinks drones could help.
“That was the challenge,” he says. “How can we use cheaper, very light sensors [to] give you a similar level of precision?”
The Plan
The idea is to mount sensors on bridges, then send drones out to upload information about the bridges’ health from the sensors. The drones themselves could scan the structures where the sensors can’t reach, too.
“Having the drones now, we don’t have to put hundreds and thousands of sensors sitting on the bridge and using lots of electricity and collecting the data day in and day out,” says Uddin.
Drones could be used for regular bridge inspections, or after storms or earthquakes.
Uddin is collaborating with researchers in Ireland and England, where he says there are fewer restrictions on testing drones in high-traffic areas. He hopes to run field tests in England this year. He’s also recently applied for a separate grant to develop the same drones to inspect buildings, homes and other structures after storms or earthquakes. Those drones could also serve as hotspot communications networks in disaster zones.
CBS’ next top editor to be Bari Weiss of The Free Press
CBS' parent company will buy The Free Press and install Bari Weiss, its contrarian founder, as editor in chief of CBS News.
Amid funding cuts and public health battles, NIH issues autism research grants
Cornell University will receive $5.1 million as the Trump administration seeks to find a source and cure for autism.
What to know as Gaza ceasefire talks begin in Egypt
Israel and Hamas appear closer than ever to a deal to end their two-year war — but questions remain. Delegations from Israel, Hamas, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are meeting on Monday.
Supreme Court term will tackle executive power, executive power and executive power
The term promises to be hugely consequential and focused in large part on how much power the Constitution gives to the president.
Civil rights jobs have been cut. Those ex-workers warn of ICE detention violations
After layoffs, it's unclear how many people are policing civil rights violations inside the Department of Homeland Security, even as the Trump administration ramps up ICE detention.
A special newsletter to help you save money and pay off credit card debt
Get a handle on your credit card debt. Sign up for Life Kit's month-long email series and get expert strategies to save money and spend less.
