These Drones Could Make Self-Repairing Cities a Reality
Rahul Kalvapalle — October 27, 2015 — Tech
References: engineering.leeds.ac.uk & gizmag
Scientists at the University of Leeds are leading a new initiative that could one day lead to self-repairing cities -- cities in which labor-intensive urban maintenance tasks are taken care of by an army of drones who keep a watch over the urban environment before stepping in to conduct repairs whenever possible, whether this means filling potholes, checking power lines or replacing street lamps.
The robots will be ready for testing next year, as the dream of having self-repairing cities gets just a little bit closer to reality.
"We want to make Leeds the first city in the world to have zero disruption from street works," says Professor Phil Purnell. "We can support infrastructure which can be entirely maintained by robots and make the disruption caused by the constant digging up the road in our cities a thing of the past.”
The robots will be ready for testing next year, as the dream of having self-repairing cities gets just a little bit closer to reality.
"We want to make Leeds the first city in the world to have zero disruption from street works," says Professor Phil Purnell. "We can support infrastructure which can be entirely maintained by robots and make the disruption caused by the constant digging up the road in our cities a thing of the past.”
Trend Themes
1. Self-repairing Cities - An emerging trend in urban development where drones are used for maintenance and repairs to minimize the disruption caused by roadworks and other urban maintenance tasks.
2. Infrastructure Robotics - An emerging trend in the robotics industry that involves developing robots that can maintain and repair infrastructure, paving the way for safer and more efficient maintenance practices.
3. Smart Cities - An ongoing trend in urban planning and development focused on incorporating new technologies and automation to improve the quality of life, safety, and sustainability of cities.
Industry Implications
1. Infrastructure - The infrastructure industry can embrace the opportunity to leverage drone technology to streamline and automate maintenance tasks.
2. Robotics - The robotics industry can develop new robots and technologies that can be used to maintain and repair infrastructure in urban environments.
3. Urban Planning - The urban planning industry can incorporate drone technology and other automated solutions to improve the efficiency and sustainability of cities.
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