Taixing in East China's Jiangsu province has introduced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) thermal imaging scanning technology to conduct safety hazard inspections on buildings in the city.

By using technological means and systematic measures to build a strong defense line for building safety, the city has organized professional testing units to conduct UAV aerial inspections on the exterior walls of 330 high-rise residential buildings which are over a decade old in the urban area.

Drones equipped with thermal imaging devices are like "smart eyes" for building safety, achieving comprehensive and accurate examination of the risk of hollowing and cracking in exterior wall tiles, plaster layers, insulation layers, as well as the stability of additional facilities such as sunshades and air conditioning racks, without any blind spot.

According to Sun Xin, an engineer from Taixing's municipal housing and construction department, the application of UAV thermal imaging and aerial photography technology provides a good solution to the "old and difficult" existing problems — When they review applications for special maintenance funds for residential buildings, there are such difficulties as defining the maintenance scope, measuring engineering quantities and quality supervision.

Compared to traditional methods like manual climbing, drone technology can eliminate the risks of high-altitude operations to people, achieving a leap in efficiency and significant cost reduction, he said.

The UAV's precise recording of the location, scale and detailed data report of hidden dangers can provide scientific support for subsequent precise maintenance, helping to improve the accuracy and transparency of the use of the residential special maintenance fund, Sun added.

After maintenance on a building is complete, the drone will be used to re-examine it for project acceptance, thus finishing a full closed-loop management mode of "precise investigation, scientific diagnosis, efficient maintenance and intelligent acceptance".

Please contact the writer at hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn