iSafeUAS: An Unmanned Aerial System for Construction Safety Inspection

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) have recently been utilized as an efficient safety inspection and monitoring tool on construction jobsites. However, their deployment could potentially result in hazardous situations such as worker distraction or struck-by accidents. This paper introduces iSafeUAS as an initial effort to develop and assess a platform designed for safety inspection purposes with customized features such as a super optical zoom RGB Camera and a Parachute Recovery System to ensure safe yet accurate visual data acquisition without the need to fly over or near populated areas. After conducting multiple flight tests to evaluate its technical performance, the iSafeUAS was deployed on a construction jobsite to validate its safety inspection capabilities. The study results showed that the Parachute Recovery System reduced the fatality probability by more than 40%, and the super optical zoom capabilities helped safety managers better identify and inspect potential safety hazards.