A review of rotorcraft Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developments and applications in civil engineering

Peter Liu , Albert Y. Chen , Yin-Nan Huang , Jen-Yu Han , Jihn-Sung Lai , Shih-Chung Kang , Tzong-Hann Wu , Ming-Chang Wen , Meng-Han Tsai

Abstract

Civil engineers always face the challenge of uncertainty in planning, building, and maintaining infrastructure. These works rely heavily on a variety of surveying and monitoring techniques. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an effective approach to obtain information from an additional view, and potentially bring significant benefits to civil engineering. This paper gives an overview of the state of UAV developments and their possible applications in civil engineering. The paper begins with an introduction to UAV hardware, software, and control methodologies. It also reviews the latest developments in technologies related to UAVs, such as control theories, navigation methods, and image processing. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary of the potential applications of UAV to seismic risk assessment, transportation, disaster response, construction management, surveying and mapping, and flood monitoring and assessment.

Key Words

unmanned aerial vehicle; UAV application; automatic control; artificial intelligence navigation; image processing and analysis; nuclear power plant; transportation; disaster response; construction management; mobile mapping; flood monitoring and assessment

Address

Peter Liu — Department of Electrical Engineering, Tamkang University, No. 151 Yingzhuan Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan
Albert Y. Chen, Jen-Yu Han, Shih-Chung Kang, Tzong-Hann Wu and Ming-Chang Wen — Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
Jihn-Sung Lai — Hydrotech Research Institute, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
Meng-Han Tsai — Center for Weather Climate and Disaster Research, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan

PDF Viewer

Preview is limited to the first 3 pages. Sign in to access the full PDF.

← Back to Volume 13, No. 6