BT Group, the UK’s leading communications provider, has announced that it has won UK government backing to fund a consortium and R&D into a long-term drone project it plans to employ to monitor infrastructure in the country.
The operator stated the consortium develops projects involving the deployment of drone technologies in the field of infrastructure and forms part of a programme within the UK Research Institute (UKRI), the nation’s official research and innovation agency.
Notably, the project will demonstrate value in three use case areas for ports and highways, including landside port operations and management, marine operations and highway safety and defect inspections.
The main aim of the project is to create efficient solutions for infrastructure management with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and practically showcase opportunities for ports and highways to use ‘drones as a service’. Using AI and data analytics, the project will develop the InDePTH platform offering seamless integration from UAS imagery, through operational systems, to actionable insights.
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BT stressed further that the major objective of the project is to provide real-time data transfer and enable this to be “a greater asset” for end users.
The operator argued the deployment of drones and AI promote cost-effective and sustainable strategies in infrastructure management compared with conventional diesel-powered vehicles.
BT noted the consortium includes multiple industrial and technology companies, with the operator spearheading the project.
John Davies, chief researcher at BT, said it was taking a “leading role in demonstrating the positive impact drones can have on the economy, specifically helping businesses to become more efficient and supporting the path to net zero”.
