Research Presentation on Monitoring Technologies for Ensuring Safety of Infrastructure and Users Using AI and IoT
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Institute of Technology announced on the 14th that they will hold the "2nd Road Bridge Maintenance Technology Expert Exchange Meeting" to address current issues in road facility maintenance and exchange the latest technologies, and conduct proposals for smart technology policies and thematic discussions necessary for road facility management.
The Seoul Institute of Technology developed monitoring technology that measures micro-movements of major bridge components using IoT and enables real-time safety management through artificial intelligence (AI) data analysis. This technology was pilot-introduced on the Gayang Bridge last year and plans to be expanded to the Cheongdam Bridge. It is expected to reduce the inspection gaps of bridges, which previously took from six months to six years, to hourly intervals, and to enable proactive responses and decision-making rather than the conventional post-management-oriented maintenance.
They have developed IoT monitoring technology for rapid initial response to sudden snowfall and road icing caused by climate change, as well as for monitoring road surface conditions. Using infrared thermometers, weather sensors, and video information, the intelligent IoT technology that determines sudden snowfall and road icing in real time will be pilot-introduced in Seoul from the second half of this year. Through this, they plan to create a ‘Safe Seoul’ where citizens feel secure by preventive maintenance of road facilities utilizing 4th Industrial Revolution technologies.
Existing urban infrastructure maintenance has faced issues such as decreased reliability of results due to differences in individual diagnostic personnel’s management capabilities and safety concerns. This research presentation includes new strategies for inspection, diagnosis, repair, and reinforcement fields necessary for shifting from reactive to proactive infrastructure management.
First, they plan to introduce unmanned and automated inspections by implementing mobile inspection robots for bridge undersides with position control and RoboCam systems, enabling video acquisition even in narrow spaces or areas with strong gusts. Additionally, to improve the difficulty in clearly assessing the effectiveness after repair and reinforcement, they propose self-sensing monitoring technology to verify the effects of repaired areas. Ultimately, the plan aims to realize a safe and trusted living environment for citizens through advanced maintenance technologies based on automation and unmanned systems.
There are 4,998 domestic bridge facilities in Korea that have been completed for over 30 years. Most currently receive a B-grade diagnosis, but a rapid increase in C-grade bridges is expected in the future. This presentation proposes a proactive maintenance method that predicts the future condition of structures by additionally conducting deterioration evaluations not previously secured in existing inspection and diagnosis data.
In particular, by utilizing deterioration curves and deterioration models based on artificial intelligence, it is expected to identify the priority of damage by component and region, which will also assist in decision-making for bridge maintenance strategies.
There are 9,600 bridges currently in use on highways, but the current maintenance method remains reactive, relying on personnel to inspect and address problems as they arise. This presentation explains the digital-based smart maintenance projects currently being promoted by the Korea Expressway Corporation to shift from reactive to preventive maintenance.
In the second part of the discussion, all participating institutions will share current issues related to maintenance and repair of road bridges and infrastructure, and discuss policy and technology development directions for efficient infrastructure maintenance.
Im Seong-eun, President of the Seoul Institute of Technology, said, “Smart maintenance of infrastructure using 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as AI, IoT, and big data is the direction that the Seoul Institute of Technology must lead going forward,” adding, “We will act as a mediator to ensure that maintenance technologies and policies being carried out not only by our institute but also by various organizations are well applied to Seoul Metropolitan Government.”
Baek Il-heon, Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Safety General Manager, said, “Smart maintenance of aging infrastructure requires exchange and cooperation among various institutions as well as Seoul Metropolitan Government,” and added, “We hope that domestic infrastructure maintenance technology policies will grow through active participation and exchange among facility maintenance organizations.”
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