Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RESIST (RESilient transport InfraSTructure to extreme events)
Reporting period: 2020-03-01 to 2022-06-30
The overall goal of RESIST was to increase the resilience of seamless transport operation to natural and man-made extreme events, protect the users of the European transport infrastructure and provide optimal information to the operators and users of the transport infrastructure. The project addressed extreme events on critical structures, implemented in the case of bridges and tunnels attacked by all types of extreme physical, natural and man-made incidents, and cyber-attacks. The RESIST technology was deployed and validated at 2 pilots in real conditions and infrastructures. RESIST also used risk analyses and leverage and further developed previous exploitable research results in robotics, driving under panic, sensing and communications, to dramatically improve the speed and effectiveness, while reducing the cost, of structural vulnerability assessment, situation awareness, response operations and increased users’ protection under extreme events towards a high level of resilience of the transport infrastructure at 3 levels: a) increased physical resilience of bridges/tunnels by robotic inspection and predictive analytics; b) restoration of services/routes back to normal quickly and permission of a continuous flow of passengers and freight across different modes of transport soon after an extreme event, which was achieved by rapid and accurate robotic damage assessment after extreme physical events, cyber security solutions, alternative secure and continuous communication under emergency operations (including integration of terrestrial and satellite systems) and increased cross-modal flexibility; c) clear and effective communication of transport operators and users, emergency responders and the public in the vicinity, to minimize the impact of the disruption on people and businesses, by exploiting real-time data, available networks, social media and mobile technologies to allow for real-time emergency information dissemination.
During the 2nd period of the project (M19 – M46), the consortium partners developed, updated and released the components’ prototypes, namely the RPAS including all integrated sensors, the Photogrammetric and Cognitive Computer Vision System, the Mobility Continuity Module, the Structural Vulnerability Assessment tool, the Risk Assessment and Management System and the Cyber Security and communication module. All these components were integrated into the Esthesis Platform that was developed to serve as single point for infrastructure management and assessment, simplifying the parallel monitoring of all tools and allowing the operator to perform all necessary actions through one software. All RESIST components were tested and validated under real conditions in actual field tests that were performed in the pilot demonstrations that took place at T9 bridge in Greece and St. Petronilla tunnel and A32 highway in Italy.
In general, the validation of RESIST system was very successful with all components performing as expected and providing a secure and time-saving solution for the in-depth structural damage inspection and the communication among stakeholders. Based on the developed technology that was validated in the pilot demonstrations, RESIST achieved to perform full inspection of the claimed as damaged structures and successfully support road operators to assess the infrastructure stability and early identify necessary maintenance or restoration interventions. Comparing RESIST solution with conventional methods currently used for inspection purposes, it can be easily concluded that RESIST meets the needs of the road operation industry to upgrade their inspection productivity, efficiency, accuracy in order to check the structural and operational condition of their aging infrastructures objectively, seamlessly and quickly. The overall added value of RESIST system can be summarized in the following benefits:
• Unmanned visual inspection through RPAS
• Lower inspection costs
• Easy installation of wireless vibration sensors
• Reduction of destructive infrastructure test (concrete drills)
• Communication enhancement
• Cyber-security
• Improvement of predictive maintenance through high-quality diagnosis
• Integrated platform
With regards to exploitation of results, 16 Key Exploitable Results (KERs) were identified, namely:
• Framework for Techno-Economic, Environmental and Social Analyses
• Structural Vulnerability Module
• Aerial Robot with Sensor Suite for Bridge Inspection accompanied by the GCS system
• Aerial robot with manipulator for tunnel contact inspection including tunnel localization, navigation and control systems
• Photogrammetric Computer Vision System
• Cognitive Computer Vision System
• Ultrasonic Sensors for measurements of the depth of cracks
• Wireless vibration measurement module for structural monitoring
• Cyber Security Platform
• Resilient & Secure Communication System
• Mobility Continuity module, social interface tool, mobile application
• Methodology and Software for Safety and Security Risk Assessment
• RESIST Gateway and esthesis platform and API
• RESIST Integration Environment
• Inspection Process Monitoring (IPM) application
• RESIST solution (including all the components of RESIST backend and the components of the field)
In general, the validation of RESIST system was very successful with all components performing as expected and providing a secure and time-saving solution for the in-depth structural damage inspection and the communication among stakeholders. Based on the developed technology that was validated in the pilot demonstrations, RESIST achieved to perform full inspection of the claimed as damaged structures and successfully support road operators to assess the infrastructure stability and early identify necessary maintenance or restoration interventions. Comparing RESIST solution with conventional methods currently used for inspection purposes, it can be easily concluded that RESIST meets the needs of the road operation industry to upgrade their inspection productivity, efficiency, accuracy in order to check the structural and operational condition of their aging infrastructures objectively, seamlessly and quickly. The overall added value of RESIST system can be summarized in the following benefits:
• Unmanned visual inspection through RPAS
• Lower inspection costs
• Easy installation of wireless vibration sensors
• Reduction of destructive infrastructure test (concrete drills)
• Communication enhancement
• Cyber-security
• Improvement of predictive maintenance through high-quality diagnosis
• Integrated platform
With regards to exploitation of results, 16 Key Exploitable Results (KERs) were identified, namely:
• Framework for Techno-Economic, Environmental and Social Analyses
• Structural Vulnerability Module
• Aerial Robot with Sensor Suite for Bridge Inspection accompanied by the GCS system
• Aerial robot with manipulator for tunnel contact inspection including tunnel localization, navigation and control systems
• Photogrammetric Computer Vision System
• Cognitive Computer Vision System
• Ultrasonic Sensors for measurements of the depth of cracks
• Wireless vibration measurement module for structural monitoring
• Cyber Security Platform
• Resilient & Secure Communication System
• Mobility Continuity module, social interface tool, mobile application
• Methodology and Software for Safety and Security Risk Assessment
• RESIST Gateway and esthesis platform and API
• RESIST Integration Environment
• Inspection Process Monitoring (IPM) application
• RESIST solution (including all the components of RESIST backend and the components of the field)
1. Actions will contribute to substantial improvement of smooth continuity of mobility of people and freight even in the case of serious disruptions due to natural or man-made circumstances.
• Further development and update of the mobility continuity module, supporting the rerouting of passengers and freight
• Management of both road and lane closures and relevant traffic disruptions
• Enhancement of multimodality, provision of alternative routes using different transport means
• Consideration of traffic composition, calculation of average speed per lane, provision of relevant information to users and road operators
2. Major progress will be made regarding individual mode components' resilience to damage due to extreme weather conditions, including reduction of maintenance and retrofitting needs.
• Reduction of RESIST inspection cost compared to conventional inspection approach
• Better system performance due to updated and improved modules
• Early identification of potential vulnerable or critical cases, preventing further infrastructure damage, risk and cost
• Minimization of human presence in extreme environments and conditions and its associated risk
3. Contribution to achieve reliable modal interchanges allowing continuous fluid traffic flow even during or after disruption.
• Support of multimodality through the mobility continuity module
• Bus rerouting
• Information about potential alternative transport means, routes and schedules to affected users
4. A high level of resilience of the transport infrastructure is an essential contribution to sustainable development and of impact on and adaptation to climate change conditions.
• Increase of transport infrastructure resilience
• Early identification of critical structures through structural vulnerability assessment
• Direct provision of necessary information to road operators and users to minimize the impacts and restore the services the soonest possible
• Reactive measurements to assess the criticality of events and ensure seamless mobility
• Further development and update of the mobility continuity module, supporting the rerouting of passengers and freight
• Management of both road and lane closures and relevant traffic disruptions
• Enhancement of multimodality, provision of alternative routes using different transport means
• Consideration of traffic composition, calculation of average speed per lane, provision of relevant information to users and road operators
2. Major progress will be made regarding individual mode components' resilience to damage due to extreme weather conditions, including reduction of maintenance and retrofitting needs.
• Reduction of RESIST inspection cost compared to conventional inspection approach
• Better system performance due to updated and improved modules
• Early identification of potential vulnerable or critical cases, preventing further infrastructure damage, risk and cost
• Minimization of human presence in extreme environments and conditions and its associated risk
3. Contribution to achieve reliable modal interchanges allowing continuous fluid traffic flow even during or after disruption.
• Support of multimodality through the mobility continuity module
• Bus rerouting
• Information about potential alternative transport means, routes and schedules to affected users
4. A high level of resilience of the transport infrastructure is an essential contribution to sustainable development and of impact on and adaptation to climate change conditions.
• Increase of transport infrastructure resilience
• Early identification of critical structures through structural vulnerability assessment
• Direct provision of necessary information to road operators and users to minimize the impacts and restore the services the soonest possible
• Reactive measurements to assess the criticality of events and ensure seamless mobility