International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 10 | Oct 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
“DRONES AND ROBOTICS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING: CURRENT PRACTICES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS” Parth B. Potdar1, Kaushal B. Patil2, Aryan N. Mhetre3, Anurag M. Rokade4, Bipin P. Patil5 1,2,3,4Student of B. Tech in Civil Engineering at Walchand Institute of Technology, Solapur, Maharashtra, India –
413006.
5M. Tech (Structural Engineering) Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Walchand Institute of Technology, Solapur,
Maharashtra, India – 413006. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - As transportation infrastructure networks
their own issues, such as high installation costs, limited reusability across different structures, and problems during extreme events.
continue to age, bridges have become important parts that need regular monitoring to ensure safety and functionality. Inspections and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) are crucial for helping decision-makers maintain structural integrity. Drones are increasingly used for bridge inspections because they provide greater safety, efficiency, and cost savings compared to traditional methods. This project offers a detailed review of existing research on drone-based bridge monitoring. It looks at equipment, inspection procedures, outcomes, the Internet of Drones (IoD), and related communication technologies while exploring current limitations, future directions, and potential improvements. In the near future, computer vision techniques applied to images captured by drones will likely enhance automated detection of surface damage and extraction of dynamic structural features. The main challenges are integrating with IoD and standardizing the procedures. This work aims to support fully automated drone-assisted inspections.
Recently, the use of drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs) has grown as a strong solution to address the limitations of traditional monitoring. Drones offer a flexible, efficient, and cost-effective way to collect data. They can perform detailed inspections, detect superficial damage, and assess dynamic structural conditions. The mobility and modularity of drone systems allow for quick deployment and reuse over entire infrastructure networks. Importantly, using drones reduces safety risks for workers by allowing inspections of hard-to-reach and hazardous spots. Most drone monitoring strategies focus on analyzing high-quality images and videos with computer vision techniques. These approaches mainly concentrate on two areas: automated surface damage detection (like cracks and spalling) and vision-based monitoring for extracting modal parameters. Furthermore, the growing use of Internet of Drones (IoD) architecture, combined with modern communication technologies like 5G and 6G, offers better operation and realtime data sharing for groups of drones over large areas. This paper presents a detailed review of the current methods, technological tools, operational practices, communication needs, and inspection results of drone-based bridge monitoring. It also examines the challenges and future directions needed to move toward fully automated and standardized drone-assisted infrastructure management.
Key Words: Drone, Unmanned aerial vehicle UAV, Structural health monitoring SHM, Computer vision, Internet of drones IoD, Surface damage detection, Modal identification, Bridge inspection.
1.INTRODUCTION Infrastructure networks around the world face serious challenges due to aging. This makes continuous monitoring of assets like bridges essential for safety and reliable function. Traditionally, assessing bridges depends on periodic visual inspections by trained personnel, often along with non-destructive or destructive testing. However, these traditional methods have significant drawbacks. These include poor access to hard-to-reach or dangerous areas, subjectivity in the inspector's judgment, high costs, and safety risks for workers, especially on large structures. Inspections occur at fixed intervals, which might not match the actual onset of damage, resulting in delays in addressing issues.
1.1 Aim of Study The main goal of this project is to provide an updated review of the key aspects related to using drones for bridge monitoring. This includes current technology, methods, and notable case studies. 1.2 Objective The specific objectives of this paper are: • Multi-faceted Review: To present a detailed review of existing research on drone-based bridge monitoring. This covers equipment, inspection procedures, outcomes, the Internet of Drones (IoD), and related communication technologies.
To improve or replace these methods, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems were developed. These systems use contact-type sensors and data collection hardware to provide continuous, automatic information. Still, they have
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