The bridge inspection process has changed completely. The use of automation and drones is reducing the need for hands-on inspections, costly bucket trucks and teams of climbers to more cost-effective, risk-mitigated processes with the use of automation and drones.
In this live talk, the Minnesota Department of Transportation joins us to discuss why they made the shift in 2015 to start using drones for bridge inspection and quickly became an innovative leader in unmanned aerial systems.
Understand how MnDOT partnered with Collins Engineers to inspect Robert Street Bridge, a historic bridge in downtown St. Paul, and cut their inspection costs by 40%. They’ll walk through how they capture higher-quality data faster, and created precise digital twins using Skydio 3D scan.
Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Jennifer Wells, Bridge Inspection Engineer, and Barritt Lovelace, VP of UAS, AI and Reality Modeling at Collins Engineers will lead this discussion.
Attend the talk and learn:
- How to cut inspection costs by 40% and improve quality with the use of drones
- Key steps to building out a drone program
- Collecting higher-quality inspection data in half the time
- Reducing risk for inspectors and climbing teams
- Streamlining workflows with the use of 3D scan
Speaker Bios:
Barritt Lovelace, VP of UAS at Collins Engineering
Barritt Lovelace is a licensed professional engineer and has over 25 years of bridge design and inspection experience. He has designed over 50 bridges and has performed over 3,000 bridge inspections. He is a certified diver, rope access technician, non-destructive testing technician, UAS Pilot and NHI Instructor. Barritt currently serves as Vice President of UAS, Artificial Intelligence and Reality Modeling for Collins Engineers, Inc.
Jennifer Wells, Bridge Inspector Engineer with Minnesota Department of Transportation
Jennifer Wells, State Bridge Inspection Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation – Bridge Office has been an engineer with MnDOT for over 20 years. Jennifer has a BSCE from Michigan Tech University and an MSCE from the University of Minnesota. She is a licensed civil engineer, NBIS Team Leader, SPRAT Level 1 rope access technician, FAA Certified Small Unmanned Aircraft System pilot, and was the lead investigator on MnDOT drone research for bridges.
