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Drone-based bridge inspections : Current practices and future directions

Panigati, Tommaso ; Zini, Mattia ; Striccoli, Domenico ; Giordano, Pier Francesco ; Tonelli, Daniel ; Limongelli, Maria Pina LU orcid and Zonta, Daniele (2025) In Automation in Construction 173.
Abstract

As transportation infrastructure networks continue to age, bridges have become critical components requiring monitoring activities to ensure safety and functionality. Inspections and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) play a vital role in aiding decision-makers in maintaining structural integrity. Drones have gained popularity for bridge inspections because they offer enhanced safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods. This paper provides a multi-faceted review of existing research on drone-based bridge monitoring, focusing on equipment, inspection procedures, outcomes, the Internet of Drones (IoD), and associated communication technologies, exploring current limitations, future directions and potential... (More)

As transportation infrastructure networks continue to age, bridges have become critical components requiring monitoring activities to ensure safety and functionality. Inspections and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) play a vital role in aiding decision-makers in maintaining structural integrity. Drones have gained popularity for bridge inspections because they offer enhanced safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods. This paper provides a multi-faceted review of existing research on drone-based bridge monitoring, focusing on equipment, inspection procedures, outcomes, the Internet of Drones (IoD), and associated communication technologies, exploring current limitations, future directions and potential advancements. In the near future, it is expected that the application of computer vision techniques to drone-captured imagery will expand the possibilities for automated surface damage detection and extraction of dynamic structural features. The main challenges lie in the integration with IoD, and the standardization of the procedures, paving the way for fully automated drone-assisted inspections.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Bridge inspection, Computer vision, Drone, Internet of drones, IoD, Modal identification, SHM, Structural health monitoring, Surface damage detection, UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle
in
Automation in Construction
volume
173
article number
106101
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85219037369
ISSN
0926-5805
DOI
10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106101
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0c2b3286-7141-4f94-a64d-01c755b95d93
date added to LUP
2025-06-11 14:05:21
date last changed
2025-06-11 14:05:57
@article{0c2b3286-7141-4f94-a64d-01c755b95d93,
  abstract     = {{<p>As transportation infrastructure networks continue to age, bridges have become critical components requiring monitoring activities to ensure safety and functionality. Inspections and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) play a vital role in aiding decision-makers in maintaining structural integrity. Drones have gained popularity for bridge inspections because they offer enhanced safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods. This paper provides a multi-faceted review of existing research on drone-based bridge monitoring, focusing on equipment, inspection procedures, outcomes, the Internet of Drones (IoD), and associated communication technologies, exploring current limitations, future directions and potential advancements. In the near future, it is expected that the application of computer vision techniques to drone-captured imagery will expand the possibilities for automated surface damage detection and extraction of dynamic structural features. The main challenges lie in the integration with IoD, and the standardization of the procedures, paving the way for fully automated drone-assisted inspections.</p>}},
  author       = {{Panigati, Tommaso and Zini, Mattia and Striccoli, Domenico and Giordano, Pier Francesco and Tonelli, Daniel and Limongelli, Maria Pina and Zonta, Daniele}},
  issn         = {{0926-5805}},
  keywords     = {{Bridge inspection; Computer vision; Drone; Internet of drones; IoD; Modal identification; SHM; Structural health monitoring; Surface damage detection; UAV; Unmanned aerial vehicle}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Automation in Construction}},
  title        = {{Drone-based bridge inspections : Current practices and future directions}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106101}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106101}},
  volume       = {{173}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}