Development of Advanced Robot System for Bridge Inspection and Monitoring

교량유지관리 자동화를 위한 첨단 로봇 시스템 개발

Conventional bridge inspection involves the physical positioning of an inspector by the hydraulic telescoping boom of a "snooper truck" thereby providing visual access to bridge components. The process is time consuming, hazardous, and may be affected by lighting conditions, Therefore, it is of great interest that an automated and/or teleoperated inspection robot be developed to replace the manual inspection procedure. This paper describes the advanced bridge inspection robot system under development and other related activities currently undergoing at the Bridge Inspection Robot Development Interface (BIRDI). BIRDI is a research consortium with its home in the Department of Civil and Environmental System Engineering at Hanyang University at Ansan. Its primary goal is to develop advanced robot systems for bridge inspection and monitoring for immediate field application and commercialization. The research program includes research areas such as advanced inspection robot and motion control system, sensing technologies for monitoring and assessment, and integrated system for bridge maintenance. The center embraces 12 institutions, which consist of 7 universities, 2 research institutes, and 3 private enterprises. Research projects are cross-disciplinary and include experts from structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electronic and control engineering. This research project will contribute to advancement of infrastructure maintenance technology, enhancement of construction industry competitiveness, and promotion of national capacity for technology innovation.