Workshop on AErial RObotic system for In-depth Bridge Inspection by contact held on 3rd-5th February 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece

This workshop was organised by EGNATIA ODOS AE (EOAE) in Thessaloniki, Greece with the support of the Project Coordinator AIRBUS DS SAS (ADS). It was the first workshop organised after the 1st Project Management Group (PMG) meeting in December 2015. The first day of the AEROBI workshop started with the site survey of one of the Egnatia Odos bridges. The T2 River Bridge, which is 86 m length, was inspected using the current tests methods identifying the skew cracks due to construction as well as deformations and hogging beams. Presently, bridge inspection is primarily done through visual observations by inspectors. It relies upon the inspector having access to bridge components via access equipment and vehicular lifts. This is uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for the inspectors, while it interferes with the traffic contributing to bottlenecks and congestion. The idea was to show the need of the intelligent robotic system for the future bridge inspection industry.

In the other days of the workshop, the Project Coordinator welcomed the participants from each Work Package (WP) coming to this workshop. He also briefly presented the Agenda and looked over the actions from the 1st PMG meeting. Representatives of each WP introduced the objectives, strategies, and activities of each effort. The overview presentations and brainstorming created common challenges, new ideas and actions.