“TECNALIA develops advanced sensors for monitoring civil infrastructure”
Advanced digital technology for civil infrastructure maintenance
Recent disasters, such as the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa, have highlighted the critical state of many European civil infrastructure. Periodic inspection of civil infrastructure is an essential tool for assessing its condition, informing maintenance and repair, and extending its useful life.
Current inspections are costly, time-consuming and resource-intensive and pose risks to workers’ health and safety. Taking all these factors into account, it is necessary to develop an innovative, secure and cost-effective digital solution that facilitates management and decision-making for the inspection, maintenance and repair of civil infrastructure.
Digital technology and the human factor
TECNALIA is working on the SARAH project, a European project that uses a human-centred approach and takes advantage of metaverse, augmented reality, digital twin and advanced monitoring technologies. SARAH empowers infrastructure supervisors and intervention staff, providing them with real-time assistance, fostering skills development and improving their occupational health and safety.
This solution, based on digital technology and human factors, offers innovation to the inspection, maintenance and repair of civil infrastructure and provides the following functionalities:
- Identify civil infrastructure problems quickly, cost-effectively and safely thanks to innovative sensors deployed in situ.
- Assess quickly and accurately repair needs using a digital twin of the infrastructure capable of running in real time, and propose prioritised and timely interventions, taking into account risk assessment through a decision support engine.
- Deploy inspections and provide remote assistance to operators.
- Deliver, after intervention and repair, a final inspection report created by generative AI.
Advanced sensors and AI for civil infrastructure monitoring
TECNALIA has focused on solving complex problems by providing various monitoring solutions to optimise asset management. In this complex project, it concentrates its efforts on the development of advanced sensors for infrastructure monitoring based on ultrasound technology and on the use of advanced materials such as buckypaper.
TECNALIA also collaborates in the development of several modules of the SARAH system based on AI, aimed at supporting decision-making regarding inspection and maintenance priorities, interpretation of results and issuing inspection reports.
The SARAH project is led by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission and also includes the Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development, Ferrovial, Ente Italiano di Normazione, Matz-Erreka, Tyoterveyslaitos, Quas Quasset BV, Armengaud Innovate GMBH and Poma.
