Mapping of pier substructure using UAV

In developed countries the life expectancy of hard structures is about 50 years, therefore there are a large number of structures currently needing replacement and repair. Such a large task requires considerable resources. In order to reduce the work-load and speed up this task, autonomous robotic inspection has been proposed. Of all the different kinds of robots the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) promises to be a suitable platform due to its low cost and high functionality. In recent years research using UAV robots for inspecting infrastructure facilities such as a tunnels and bridges has gained momentum and there are many illustrative examples where such robots have shown good results. However, there are little or no studies on UAV robot inspection of pier structures, an important marine facility at present. We present the development of a Pier Inspection System using UAV (PISU). The system comprises of autonomous flight system, mapping-update system and collision avoidance system. The performance of PISU is demonstrated by simulations and results are discussed.