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Bridge of the future: AI detects damage caused by airborne noise at an early stage!
Research project in Saxony uses AI to detect bridge damage at an early stage. First tests on two bridges in 2025.
Bridge of the future: AI detects damage caused by airborne noise at an early stage!
The safety of bridges is the focus of a new research project launched at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau. The goal is to develop an intelligent early warning system for the early detection of bridge damage using sound. Project manager Olivia Treuheit emphasizes the need to check bridges for safety not only when damage is visible. The innovative method relies on artificial intelligence (AI) and acoustic sensors to identify changes in the condition of bridges at an early stage, be it due to wear, cracks or loosening. This reports diesachsen.de.
A key difference to previous methods is the focus on airborne noise that occurs when driving over transitions. The AI filters out noise from the recorded audio files, enabling precise analysis. The name of the project, “AIrBSound”, already suggests that the focus here is on acoustic monitoring. The Wesenitz Bridge and the Sachsen Bridge in Pirna will be examined in the first major measurements, starting in the summer. The project will run until the summer of next year, while the engineering firm Marx Krontal Partner (MKP) will be responsible for project coordination and planning of the field tests bayika.de.
Early warning system for more safety
The idea behind this groundbreaking approach is not only to detect damage, but also to provide information about traffic volumes and types of traffic. Any acoustic monitoring could therefore also revolutionize the planning of maintenance measures. Repairs could be carried out specifically during times with less traffic, which could avoid long-term closures and costly renovations or even demolitions.
The urgency of such research initiatives is also underpinned by current events. The partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden in September last year sparked a debate about the safety of buildings in Germany. Reports about bridge closures and demolitions repeatedly make headlines, such as the Rahmede valley bridge near Lüdenscheid or the ring bridge in Magdeburg. In this context, the Federal Highway Research Institute sees the need to support projects like “AIrBSound” with funding of 250,000 euros, reports bam.de.
Overall, the project shows how digitalization and modern technologies can be used in the infrastructure to ensure greater security. It remains to be hoped that the innovative approach will bear fruit and that universally applicable prototypes will soon be designed that will make a decisive contribution to the safety of our bridges.