The Civil Engineering and Development Department, together with the Hong Kong Productivity Council, has developed an "intelligent tunnel quality inspection system" using drones equipped with artificial intelligence processing technology.
Huang Zhiwei, the chief processing engineer of the East Development Department, pointed out that the new detection system saves the time required for inspection, which is five times faster than the traditional visual inspection. It also reduces the safety risks caused by working at heights and improves site safety.
The engineer demonstrated to reporters the process of the "Intelligent Tunnel Quality Inspection System", which can complete the tunnel wall inspection in just two minutes.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Trunk Road T2 is part of Route 6, connecting the Central Kowloon Route and the Tseung Kwan O Lam Tin Tunnel, with a total length of 3.4 kilometers, of which about 2.4 kilometers of the Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel is a double-pipe undersea tunnel constructed at the bottom of the Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter.
Route 6 is expected to be completed in 2026, when it will be a 12-minute drive between Yau Ma Tei and Tseung Kwan O city centre.
In order to ensure the long-term structural integrity of the tunnel, engineers need to inspect the damage of the tunnel walls in detail. Since the height of the tunnel is about 12 meters, in the past, a high-altitude working platform was used to visually inspect each tunnel wall at a height.
The newly developed inspection system replaces manual inspection and saves the tedious and dangerous process. The drone takes 12 photos of the tunnel wall, and then uses artificial intelligence technology to analyze the images in real time to detect defects. The relevant information will also help the follow-up repair work.
The drone scans the barcode on the tunnel wall, takes 12 pictures and analyzes the damage on the components.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel is the undersea tunnel part of Route 6. It is 2.4 kilometers long and connects the Central Kowloon Route and the Tseung Kwan O Lam Tin Tunnel.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Huang Zhiwei pointed out that the "intelligent tunnel quality inspection system" only takes 2 minutes to inspect a component, which is 5 times faster than the traditional visual inspection method. Taking a distance of 10 meters as an example, the traditional inspection takes more than 400 minutes, while using the new system only takes 80 minutes. save time.
Moreover, the use of drones for detection eliminates the need to repeatedly erect high-altitude working platforms, which not only simplifies the construction process, but also reduces the safety risks caused by long-term high-altitude work and ensures the safety of workers.
Huang Zhiwei expects that new technical personnel can be introduced into other engineering projects in the future, so as to improve the overall construction safety and productivity, and improve the image of the construction industry.
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