Smart robots revolutionize structural health monitoring
Intelligent inspection robots open a new era of infrastructure safety and maintenance
Journal Center of Harbin Institute of Technology
Ensuring the structural safety of bridges, tunnels, construction machinery, and other critical infrastructure is essential for public safety, economic stability, and environmental protection. Traditional inspection methods—mainly relying on manual visual checks—are time-consuming, expensive, and often dangerous, especially in high-altitude, underwater, or hazardous environments. They are also prone to human error and often fail to detect early-stage defects, leading to unexpected structural failures and costly accidents.
Intelligent inspection robots have emerged as a powerful alternative, offering high efficiency, precision, and safety. These robots integrate advanced sensor technologies (e.g., high-resolution cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensors, and infrared thermal imagers) with artificial intelligence algorithms, enabling them to autonomously navigate complex environments and identify structural defects in real time.
The review systematically categorizes four main types of inspection robots:
- Ground Mobile Robots – Designed for stable movement across complex terrains, these robots can perform long-duration, high-accuracy inspections of bridge decks, wind turbine blades, and roadways.
- Wall-Crawling Robots – Equipped with magnetic or suction systems, these robots scale vertical surfaces to detect cracks, corrosion, and structural deformation in bridge piers, high-rise buildings, and ship hulls.
- Aerial Robots – Offering rapid deployment and wide coverage, drones can inspect high and hard-to-reach areas such as bridge superstructures and crane components, capturing high-resolution images and 3D models even in challenging conditions.
- Underwater Robots – Adapted to harsh aquatic environments, these robots conduct precise inspections of submerged structures like bridge piers, dams, and offshore platforms.
The paper also highlights the integration of sensor fusion, deep learning-based data analysis, and autonomous navigation technologies such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) positioning to improve detection accuracy and reliability in GPS-denied environments.
Despite their promise, intelligent inspection robots face technical challenges, including maintaining stability in complex environments, processing large-scale multi-source data in real time, and achieving fully autonomous decision-making. The authors suggest future research directions such as deeper integration of machine learning, optimization of multi-robot collaboration, and improvements in energy efficiency and lightweight design.
The author emphasizes: “By combining robotics, advanced sensors, and artificial intelligence, inspection robots are reshaping the future of structural health monitoring. These technologies will help prevent catastrophic accidents, reduce maintenance costs, and extend the lifespan of critical infrastructure.”
Journal
SmartBot
Method of Research
Literature review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
A Review of Technical Advances and Applications of Intelligent Inspection Robots in Structural Health Monitoring
Frasky, a new robot for vineyard applications
Frasky is a robot designed to move autonomously through vineyards, performing tasks such as monitoring, manipulating grape clusters, and applying selective treatments.
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Frasky is a robot designed to move autonomously through vineyards, performing tasks such as monitoring, manipulating grape clusters, and applying selective treatments. the project results from the collaboration with the partners involved in “JOiiNT LAB,” the joint lab aiming at creating a synergy between research and industry, thus comprising IIT and the industrial ecosystem in the Bergamo area.
view moreCredit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Bergamo/Genova (Italy), 18 September 2025 – A team of researchers from the Soft Robotics for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation Lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) in Genova has conceived and developed Frasky, a new robotic prototype able to navigate and perform operations autonomously within vineyards. Coordinated by IIT researcher Manuel G. Catalano, the project results from the collaboration with the partners involved in “JOiiNT LAB,” the joint lab aiming at creating a synergy between research and industry, thus comprising IIT and the industrial ecosystem in the Bergamo area, including Consorzio Intellimech, Confindustria Bergamo, the University of Bergamo, and Kilometro Rosso Innovation District. Frasky’s main goal is to address the challenges that the agricultural sector is facing nowadays, such as environmental sustainability and labor shortages, by combining robotics and artificial intelligence.
“Integrating robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture allows us to develop increasingly advanced models of precision farming,” says Manuel G. Catalano, IIT researcher and JOiiNT LAB coordinator. “For instance, it enables more efficient and targeted use of resources, reduces environmental impact, and offers concrete support to farmers and wine producers. These are important elements if we consider that the sector is affected by growing labor shortages and challenges posed by climate change. It is an ambitious goal, and it is possible thanks to the cooperation between research institutions, academia, and industry, where diverse perspectives and expertise play a role, which are essential to the success of this project.”
Frasky is a prototype robot intended for moving and interacting within agricultural environments. It is equipped with a robotic arm and a hand for manipulating plants and fruit. Within the arm, an integrated camera allows the system to map its surroundings and detect obstacles and specific objects, such as grape clusters, with precision. The setup is mounted on a commercially available mobile platform designed for outdoor navigation, with four motorized wheels. The complete system is modular and flexible in both hardware and software, enabling the integration of tools according to the needs of farmers. For instance, Frasky’s robotic hand includes a nozzle for applying selective treatments to the vineyard.
At the core of its operating abilities is software developed by the IIT team; it is divided into three main modules: navigation, which enables the robot to orient itself in space and reach points of interest while avoiding obstacles; perception, which permits environmental analysis and recognition of grapes clusters; and manipulation, which guides the movements of the robotic arm during its tasks. The data collected by the perception module can be used both for creating a map of the vineyard and supporting the manipulation module, enabling targeted actions such as grasping grape bunches, visual inspection, or application of treatments.
The software provides an intuitive graphical interface through which an operator can send commands and monitor in real time the robot’s operations, thus managing the entire system.
Frasky offers several advantages: more precise digital monitoring of crops; assistance to farmers with repetitive tasks; greater accuracy in treatment application in vineyards, reducing waste. All of this translates into tangible benefits for the environment and worker health, by limiting human exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Designing a robot capable of working in real-world agricultural environments presents significant technical challenges.
First, the terrain is uneven, and the environment is subject to changes, such as seasonal shifts, weather conditions, and plant growth. Foliage can become denser and more voluminous over time, reducing visibility, impeding access to plants and limiting the robot’s movement.
Moreover, the robotic system must be able to move autonomously, avoid obstacles and collect data on crop conditions, while performing interventions directly on the plants. The manipulation of fruit is an operation which requires dexterity and gentleness, because fruit is deformable and easily damaged.
In order to respond to all these challenges, Frasky was initially tested in the lab on an artificial vineyard and then validated through field demonstrations in a real vineyard in Bergamo: “Le Corne” vineyard in Grumello del Monte (Bergamo). These tests demonstrated the platform’s ability to move, map the environment, and autonomously apply treatments.
“We are currently working to make Frasky even more flexible, autonomous, and capable of adapting to various agricultural contexts, which present high complexity by their nature,” adds Francesca Negrello, IIT researcher and Technology Manager of JOiiNT LAB. “Our goal is to expand the robot’s perception and manipulation capabilities to other tasks beyond those already validated, so that it can operate alongside viticulturists, supporting them in production monitoring and in more repetitive and burdensome activities.”
“Collaboration between research and industry, as in JOiiNT LAB, is key to fostering technological innovation and nurturing new professional skills”, continues Fabio Previdi, Full Professor at the University of Bergamo. “Working closely with companies offers our students concrete interdisciplinary experiences, which are essential for developing the skills required to work in the industry and preparing them for the challenges of digital transformation. Our students, therefore, are directly involved in the projects, actively contributing to the development of advanced solutions in the labs and then transferring them outside the labs, generating benefits both for companies and the academic system.”
“The technologies that are developed for industry through joint work between research and industry have a cross-cutting impact which goes well beyond the manufacturing sector. Tangible outcomes are produced across the region”, concludes Stefano Ierace, Director of the Consorzio Intellimech. “Such projects promote new training experiences for students and young professionals, and offer real opportunities to explore innovative solutions, with benefits extending to the entire production chain and the local social system.”
Method of Research
Experimental study
Frasky was initially tested in the lab and then validated in a real vineyard in Bergamo: “Le Corne” vineyard in Grumello del Monte. These tests demonstrated the platform’s ability to move, map the environment, and autonomously apply treatments.
Credit
IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
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