Wireless Sensing for Structural Health Monitoring of Bridges by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) via BLE Communication

The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly advanced the application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), particularly for civil engineering infrastructure. While unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are commonly employed for data collection, this paper proposes a novel approach using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for synchronization and data gathering in SHM systems. Unlike traditional methods that may suffer from compromised network security and increased energy demands, the BLE-based system ensures that individual sensor nodes operate autonomously, providing inherent security benefits and improved battery longevity. Each sensor node acts independently, minimizing the risk to the overall network if a single node is compromised. We present a synchronization scheme that leverages BLE’s low-power consumption to enhance the SHM of bridges, supported by a prototype developed using a PASCO bridge kit with wireless load cells and accelerometers. The proposed BLE protocol, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, represents an unexplored avenue in SHM, promising increased safety and efficiency in sensor networks.