Drones in construction

Main article: UAV

Chronicle

2024

Construction companies began using drones to control the volume of soil loaded onto the barge

On May 24, 2024, the Japanese construction company Penta-Ocean Construction announced the introduction of a new automated system for controlling the volume of soil loaded onto the barge. To carry out these works, the company began to use a specially equipped drone manufactured by ACSL. Read more here.

Subordinate to the Ministry of Construction "RosStroyKontrol" begins to use drones to search for defects in buildings under construction

At the end of April 2024, it became known that the federal budgetary institution RosStroyKontrol, subordinate to the Ministry of Construction, was launching an automated Start system to search for defects in buildings under construction. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used to record violations and shortcomings. Read more here.

2023: How UAVs are used in construction in Russia

In 2018-2023, the construction sector accounted for approximately 3% of all purchases of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Russia in piece terms. At the same time, in monetary terms, according to the Aeronext Association, the share was higher - about 14%. In the future, the Russian government plans to expand the use of drones in the construction sector, as stated in the materials released at the end of May 2024.

According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the Ministry of Construction is stimulating the use of UAVs in the construction industry together with regional authorities and market participants on behalf of the President of Russia. We are talking, in particular, about optimizing the requirements and rules for the use of drones in the construction sector. In addition, it is planned to form an approach to UAVs "as a comprehensive service."

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One of the main options for the use of drones in construction is the control of work and safety at the sites. From July 1, 2024, the operation of the automated START system (Construction Control Management Program) begins in Russia, which is designed to collect and store information on construction defects from various facilities. Video recording of violations will be carried out using drones.

UAVs in construction also help to quickly perform pre-design surveys and monitor. At the stages of operation using drones, an inspection of infrastructure facilities is carried out. Pavel Vorobyov, Deputy Head of the Head Regional Center for Collective Use, Junior Researcher at NRU MGSU, notes that in Russia as of 2024, drone-based monitoring systems are most effectively implemented by organizations operating long-term facilities, such as pipelines, transport highways, etc.

Ilya Demko, director of the services department of Geoskan Group of Companies, emphasizes that drones are a cost-effective tool for obtaining spatial data. The information received from airborne aerial photography systems makes it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of creating topographic plans. Based on such data, 3D terrain models simplify construction planning and help to estimate the amount of upcoming excavation work in various locations. Thanks to this, it is possible to determine the optimal zones for the location of future facilities, which helps to save money during construction. In addition, the use of UAVs makes it possible to significantly accelerate the formation of digital models of cities.

Actually, at the stage of construction and installation work, monitoring from a drone allows you to record and prevent violations, control the geometric parameters of the structures being erected and the safety of the facility as a whole. In addition to a video camera, drones can carry a thermal imager on board: in this case, it becomes possible to control the quality of materials and identify problems with heat and waterproofing. Such UAVs help in drawing up an energy passport of the facility confirming compliance with energy efficiency requirements. Aerial photographs collected by drones are used to confirm the completion of the work stages and to control volumes. At the same time, the influence of the human factor is excluded, which guarantees the accuracy and reliability of the result.

Illustration: TraceAir Company

It is expected that the use of drones in the construction sector in Russia will expand as payloads - cameras, lidars and specialized devices - improve. The development of the industry will also be facilitated by the introduction of artificial intelligence tools for the effective analysis of information collected through drones.^[1]

2022: A waterfowl drone was used in the construction of the Bagaevsky hydroelectric complex in the Rostov region

The waterfowl drone was involved in the construction of the Bagaevsky hydroelectric complex (BSU) in the Rostov region. This was announced on November 8, 2022 by the Stroytransgaz company, which is engaged in the construction of the largest hydroelectric complex on the Don River. Read more here.

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