Palfinger launches Strucinspect digital bridge inspection service at bauma 2019

First published at bauma - April 11, 2019

Smart Eye is one of Palfinger’s digital developments

Crane and access platform specialist Palfinger is exploiting digital technologies to find new ways of doing business. The most radical among these is the creation of a digital inspection service aimed at bridges and other civil engineering structures.

Palfinger Structural Inspection (Strucinspect) is a joint venture between the manufacturer, Vienna Consulting Engineers (VCE) and surveying specialist the Angst Group. The service will combine unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), multispectral sensors, artificial intelligence and three-dimensional data processing to carry out condition surveys in far shorter time periods and without closing any areas to traffic. According to Palfinger, a process that would take a few weeks can now be done in 72 hours.

“We are no longer just a manufacturer of bridge inspection units, we are offering comprehensive solutions to our customers,” said Andreas Klauser, CEO of Palfinger. There are more than 40,000 road bridges and more than 25,000 railway bridges that will need inspecting in Germany and Austria over the next five-to-eight years, he added.

Strucinpsect will use data collection technology, 3D data processing and AI-assisted data analysis to create a digital 3D twin of the structure, providing a precise view of its exterior and interior state … as well as providing a prediction of its service life. This substantially increases the efficiency and cost-effectiveness not only of the inspection process, but also of the operation of the structure.

Other areas where digital technology is improving efficiency is in the maintenance and repair of equipment through Palfinger’s Smart Eye augmented reality system. Wearing a hard hat with built-in camera, mini-screen and microphone, the technician can talk to a support person at the dealership or at Palfinger and receive verbal and visual instructions to help them complete the task.

aLaunched in the last quarter of last year, Klauser commented that there has been far more demand for Smart Eye than Palfinger initially inspected. Over 200 units have gone out, with demand outstripping what the manufacturer was able to supply.

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