Partnering with the Austrian Wirtschaftsservice to Deliver Next-Level Innovation
We are extremely pleased to have our work in innovation and digitization recognized through our partnership with the Austrian Wirtschaftsservice, AWS. As a part of a new project, funded in part by the Austria Wirtschaftsservice initiative, AWS-Digitalization, STRUCINSPECT is aiming to take its concept of evolving structural inspection through AI to the next level. AI-Volution of structural inspection is aiming to deliver next-level transparency, efficiency and precision to structural inspections.
Following a call for AI-based projects in late 2020, STRUCINSPECT presented its concept in December and was announced as one of seven winners who received funding shortly after. We strongly believe that our partnership with the AWS will allow us to strengthen our own foundation as an innovative company, helping us to accelerate the development and deployment of our AI. The project is scheduled to run until February of 2022.
The specific goal for our collaboration with the AWS is to advance visual detection capabilities that can identify structural damages at a pixel level to where this capability can be safely and confidently embedded into structural engineering projects. The trustworthiness of AI lies at the heart of this undertaking. AI capabilities are one thing on paper. However, demonstrating these capabilities in real-life projects and making the most of them to improve upon the status quo is something that requires time, expertise – and the right kind of partners.
STRUCINSPECT is currently developing a support system that acts as a complementary package to structural and civil engineering projects. Camera-equipped drones deliver hi-res images that are analyzed using AI capabilities to identify different types of damage. The advantage of using drones is to be able to access hard to reach places without putting human workers at risk. AI capabilities enhance this benefit with detailed imaging and the ability to detect damages that the human eye may miss.
As a next step, STRUCINSPECT is looking to expand its AI-based digital visualization capabilities by adding further damage types to the list of identifiable issues, both structural and non-structural ones. Identifying these types of damages enables STRUCINSPECT’s AI to provide a roster of suggestions which is then assessed by an expert. In this way, digital inspection serves as the perfect gateway between AI capabilities and human expertise. Over time, the trustworthiness of AI-supported visual inspection is expected to increase, leading to more efficient damage inspection and damage classification – as well as safer concrete structures.
As a leader in innovation for AI structural inspection, STRUCINSPECT is proud to collaborate with such valuable partners as the AWS to ensure that the field of civil engineering stands to benefit from advances in AI. We look forward to continuing our work on this project which marks a key milestone in bringing structural inspection closer to the disruptive capabilities of AI – all while keeping human expertise and human labor at the heart of the matter.
