Hall, Maxwell (2024) Analysis of the use of Drones for Structural Inspections to Assist Remote Construction – Focusing on Low/Mid Budget Drones. [USQ Project]
![[img]](https://sear.unisq.edu.au/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text (Project – redacted)
Hall_M_Dissertation_Redacted.pdf Download (22MB) |
Abstract
The Australian population is ever-growing, and with this, so is the distribution of its population. Construction in remote areas of Australia is a vital sector of the engineering and construction industry, but it comes with its own unique set of challenges. From the perspective of an engineer, a large portion of the challenges faced during remote construction revolves around the difficulty of not being on site. Engineers have several requirements when it comes to inspection, the main being thoroughness in their approach and assessment, thus completion of inspection remotely is far from favoured in the Australian construction industry.
Throughout Australia and the world, the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has skyrocketed. New models of drones are constantly being developed, so the question becomes, ‘How can engineers in Australia utilize this technology to improve construction projects?’ This study aims to answer that question.
Through real-time experimentation and testing, this research proposal has helped to determine how accurate drone imaging can be on varying stages and types of construction and whether its use can further improve the inspection process for remote areas of construction. Through the use of a low to mid-budget drone, several construction sites were visited to collect data, which was then analyzed to determine how effective of a tool this technology can become.
The study also used this experimental data to develop the foundation for future research to gain opinions and expertise of industry professionals, being engineers, certifiers, and contractors, to determine alternate views on this technology. This was completed by developing a survey for future use to outline what industry members think of this technology. Applying the opinions of others within the field is expected to better improve the understanding and acceptance that this technology presents, as well as outline the struggles it may face within the user operation side of the argument.
Upon the completion of these 2 datasets, a clear view has been constructed of;
(A) What aspects of construction can successfully use unmanned aerial vehicles to complete the required visual assessment?
(B) How will future research be able to gather professional opinions on the adoption and implementation of this technology, specifically how much pushback/acceptance may be expected from industry members? A view should be gained on what personal or practical issues may be faced for this technology to be further used in structural engineering and construction practices in the future.
The potential benefits of this expansion in knowledge and possible implementation of this technology are quite extensive. The implementation of drones for inspections is expected to have a major benefit on the efficiency and timeline management of construction progress in remote areas. It is also hoped their use can greatly reduce the expenses expected for contractors, engineers, and stakeholders, as well as provide a time-saving alternative for engineers themselves, and finally reduce the carbon footprint in the construction industry, thus creating a more sustainable and efficient industry for our future.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Nyugen, Andy |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Oct 2025 23:34 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Oct 2025 23:34 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; remote; drones |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53044 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
