The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University will be inspecting the extent of damage and mapping the underwater debris field on the Rollover Pass Bridge using a small robot pontoon carrying a new type of underwater acoustic sensor. The bridge, which collapsed during Hurricane Ike, is located near Galveston.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue ( CRASAR ) and the Texas Transportation Institute ( TTI ) at Texas A&M University will be inspecting the extent of damage and mapping the underwater debris field on the Rollover Pass Bridge using a small robot pontoon carrying a new type of underwater acoustic sensor. The bridge, which collapsed during Hurricane Ike, is located near Galveston.
The underwater sensor that will be used produces clearer video, even in water that may be muddy. If successful, the use of the robot pontoon could cut the time involved in determining how to repair a bridge and how to remove the bridge that failed from one month to just a few days. It could also eliminate the need for divers to risk their lives trying to see and move around debris in cloudy, fast-moving currents. The robots could also be used to inspect aging bridges, providing early warnings of structural problems.
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