Computer Vision Assisted Structural Damage Inspection Using Drones

Inspecting structural damage in buildings and bridges is traditionally a challenging and costly endeavor, but using drones equipped with computer vision models offers a promising solution. By capturing close-range footage, drones can identify structural damage such as cracks and concrete degradation. Using the Roboflow platform, images of damage are collected and labeled, followed by the training of a computer vision model. This model, once trained, can be deployed to detect damage in real-time through a Python script that processes live camera feeds. The effectiveness of the model was demonstrated with high accuracy rates, and it can be expanded to identify other types of structural issues. This innovative method not only streamlines the inspection process but also enhances safety and efficiency by reducing the need for manual evaluations.