The land ministry said Monday it will start using drones for inspections of high pylons, cliffs, and other hard-to-reach facilities and locations.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has purchased four drones for 60 million won ($53,580) that will be used by the Korea Railroad Corp. on a six-month trial basis starting this month. The drones will inspect more than 40 locations, including bridges, tunnels and power line towers, as well as cliffs for potential mudslides.
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(Yonhap) |
Photos taken by the drones will be analyzed for any needed repairs and further inspections, KORAIL officials said. The railway corporation hopes to increase the use of drones for other inspections tasks, they said.
The Korea Express Corp. plans to utilize drones for bridge inspections and has signed agreements with three different companies to develop customized drones by 2021.
"Drones will make railway maintenance more effective, improve the safety of the maintenance crew and enable us to take prompt actions at times of natural disasters," a ministry official said. "We will be strengthening professional education regarding the use of drones." (Yonhap)
