The landscape of utility field inspections is rapidly evolving. AI-powered UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle), aka drones, are taking center stage, offering a safer, faster, and more efficient alternative to traditional ground-based methods.
Infrastructure inspections have always been essential to maintaining the structures that connect and sustain modern society. These field inspections are critical for bridges, pipelines, power grids, and roadways, but they have traditionally been slow, expensive, and risky. Teams conducting inspections often rely on labor-intensive processes that involve scaling dangerous heights or working in hazardous environments. These methods are not only inefficient but often fail to capture the full picture needed for accurate maintenance planning.
I had the opportunity to represent Fulcrum at the inaugural DroneDeploy Conference in San Francisco, CA last week. One of the goals of the conference was to “focus on real-world drone deployments across industries driven by people”. The conference had people in attendance from an array of industries including end users, software providers, and developers interested in folding aerial survey data into applications.
