Project Will Use Drone, Computer Vision and AI Technologies
01/31/2025
By Edwin L. Aguirre
A team of researchers from 51视频 and the United Kingdom are collaborating on an innovative project that could revolutionize wind turbine operation and maintenance, especially in remote locations.
The project 鈥� supported by the U.S. National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) and Innovate UK 鈥� includes experts from UML鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Queen鈥檚 University Belfast and two private firms based in Scotland, Ilosta and Air Tech Integrity. The goal is to use drones, computer vision and artificial intelligence to detect damage in wind turbine blades.
鈥淭he technology we鈥檙e developing has the potential to revolutionize the way structural health monitoring of turbine blades is performed,鈥� says UML Mechanical Engineering Asst. Prof. Alessandro Sabato, who is leading the efforts for the university.聽
The blades, which are made of fiberglass and epoxy resins, can measure hundreds of feet in length and weigh several tons. During normal operation, stress/strain on the blades can lead to cracks and other structural damage, causing the turbine to fail and disrupt power generation. That is why regular blade inspection and monitoring is needed to maintain reliability and safety.
Sabato鈥檚 co-principal investigator is Prof. Christopher Niezrecki, the director of WindSTAR, an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center at 51视频 that is funded by the National Science Foundation.
The team will use special drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors in combination with advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms to perform automated, onsite inspection and monitoring of turbine blades. The project aims to reduce human intervention and decision-making in evaluating blade damage and to minimize or eliminate turbine downtime during external blade inspections.
Sabato and Niezrecki were awarded a grant worth nearly $356,000 by NOWRDC to develop the computer vision and AI part of the project for use in offshore wind turbine blade monitoring.
鈥淪pecifically, our computer vision algorithms will improve the accuracy of the camera images in detecting and localizing blade damage, while AI will be used to automate damage detection and diagnosis,鈥� notes Sabato.
Also part of the project is the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center鈥檚 Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown, where the team will evaluate most of the technology it develops.聽
Flying Inside the Wind Turbine Blade
According to Sabato, the drone system will fly inside the cavity of a 鈥減arked鈥� (not moving) wind turbine blade to capture RGB (visible-spectrum) images and perform lidar scans of the blade鈥檚 interior.
鈥淲e will work on computer vision algorithms to improve the quality and resolution of the RGB images and reduce their blurring to make it easier to identify damage on the internal surfaces of the blade,鈥� he says.
Most blades have manholes that connect the cavities to the rotor hub.聽
鈥淭hose manholes are used to perform visual inspection of the blades, that is, a person walks up and down the first two-thirds of the length of the blade, looking for defects,鈥� Sabato says. 鈥淲ith our drone-based approach, we are trying to replace that person accessing the blade and reduce risks for the human inspectors.鈥澛犅�
The team also plans to record RGB photos of an operating wind turbine using conventional cameras mounted at a distance from the turbine鈥檚 tower.
Ilosta will integrate the computer vision and AI algorithms that UML will develop into a digital twin (3D digital model) of the blade in the lab and predict how a specific damage evolves over time. Queen鈥檚 University Belfast will develop the control and navigation algorithms for operating the drone, while Air Tech Integrity will actually fly the drone inside and outside the blade and collect data for field tests and demonstrations.
鈥淥ur goal is to identify any potential damage before the blade fails during operation, thereby reducing the financial cost to the operator and the environmental impact,鈥� says Sabato.
Established in 2018, the is a not-for-profit public-private partnership focused on advancing offshore wind technology in the U.S. through high impact research projects and cost-effective and responsible development to maximize economic benefits.
inspires, involves and invests in businesses developing life-changing innovations to create a better future. Providing sectors with expertise, facilities and funding, Innovate UK helps to test, demonstrate and evolve ideas, driving UK productivity and economic growth.
