Indore: The Indian Institute of Technology ( IIT ) Indore has developed a drone equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) application for close monitoring of structures located in inaccessible areas, an official said on Tuesday.

According to the IIT official, the AI-driven remotely operated vehicle can detect cracks and other defects in structures ranging from high-tension power lines and gas pipelines to buildings and roads within merely 25 milliseconds.

"The IIT Indore has developed a cutting-edge drone system that integrates Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with AI and machine learning (ML) to inspect and detect anomalies in structures, especially in difficult-to-reach areas," the institute's professor, Abhirup Datta, said.

This innovative system uses AI-ML technology to identify and classify cracks and other anomalies in structures such as high-tension wires, gas pipelines, buildings, and roads in real-time, he informed.

Datta said "The system has shown remarkable accuracy, achieving a 98.7% success rate in detecting and classifying cracks and processing data in just 25 milliseconds using advanced AI edge devices like Nvidia Jetson. This innovation is expected to transform the way inspections are conducted, making the process faster, safer, and more reliable." The IIT professor maintained that if specific research is undertaken, AI-powered drones can also be used to detect cracks and other defects in railway tracks.

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