The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) represents one of the most disruptive technological step changes in the field of civil engineering in the last decade. The possibility to operate small aerial vehicles in virtually every type of civil engineering environment opened up tremendous possibilities that are being exploited with increasing frequency in the academic and professional worlds.

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In our research, we develop the technology to address big societal challenges by introducing smart survey techniques. UAVs are used in conjunction with different types of sensors (HD cameras, thermal or infrared cameras, multispectral sensors and LiDAR) to provide efficient solutions for the inspection of different types of civil engineering systems. This technology gives stakeholders the possibility to perform and plan maintenance of civil infrastructure in a convenient and timely fashion, allowing for the bigger goal of improving the resilience of our communities and infrastructure.