Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have developed new technology to automate bridge inspections for structural defects and deterioration.
The system uses autonomous robots, cameras and lidar to systematically collect data for detection and analysis, making mandatory safety inspections both cheaper and more reliable.
Waterloo Engineering researchers have found an inexpensive way for cities to ease congestion and improve safety by tweaking the timing of traffic lights during snowstorms.
After collecting data and running sophisticated computer simulations, the researchers determined that adjusting signals at intersections to take poor road conditions into account could reduce delays by up to 20 per cent.
Costly losses in municipal water systems could be significantly reduced using sensors and new artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Developed by researchers at Waterloo Engineering in collaboration with industry partners, the smart infrastructure technology has the potential to detect even small leaks in pipes.
Sriram Narasimhan, a Waterloo civil and environmental engineering & mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor, was interviewed by Ben Mulroney on CTV's Your Morning about the state of the country's bridges.
Researchers from Waterloo Engineering were recognized with two awards from the Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM), honouring their work to advance asset management across the country.
Mark Knight, associate professor in civil and environmental engineering and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Trenchless Technologies (CATT), accepted the 2018 CNAM Pioneer Award.
It was the costliest disaster in Canadian history, but for Fort McMurray residents trapped on clogged evacuation roads while the May 3, 2016 wildfire raged nearby, it was also something else: terrifying. According to engineer Sriram Narasimhan, however, coming technology in sensors and data analytics could soon make community evacuations in such crises safer and more orderly.
It starts with tiny cracks, fissures in buried water pipes that eventually burst and flood city streets, causing millions of dollars in damage.
That’s the scenario Sriram Narasimhan, a University of Waterloo civil and environmental engineering professor and Canada Research Chair, is trying to end with a novel monitoring system to identify vulnerable municipal water pipes before they become financial and environmental liabilities.