Skyports Drone Services operates aerial drone surveillance remotely from Madrid for Hochtief’s Rheinbrücke Leverkusen bridge project near Cologne, Germany. The drone-in-a-box system, set up in two days, conducts weekly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspections, providing 2D and 3D survey data via DroneDeploy. This approach replaces previous manual, infrequent on-site drone surveys, enabling early issue detection and cost control. Alex Brown, Skyports CEO, plans to expand this remote piloting across multiple Hochtief sites and other construction firms, highlighting personnel efficiency and reduced travel costs. Klaus Grüttner, Hochtief Infrastructure EVP Europe, emphasizes the technology’s role in seamless, cost-efficient progress monitoring and precise surveying for earthworks and billing support. The Rheinbrücke Leverkusen bridge project, involving extensive earthworks and bridge removal, targets completion by 2028. This remote drone operation model offers AECM professionals improved site monitoring accuracy, reduced operational costs, and enhanced project oversight without on-site pilot presence. The technology streamlines data capture and processing, enabling timely, actionable insights for complex infrastructure projects. Upcoming milestones include scaling remote drone monitoring to additional Hochtief sites and potential deployments by leading US construction firms, expanding BVLOS drone applications in construction surveillance.
Source: https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/drone-piloted-in-spain-monitors-a-hochtief-bridge-project-in-germany/. Read the original story →
