Seoul Metro Uses Ultra-High-Definition Drones to Inspect Underground Tunnels

Seoul Metro announced on the 18th that it plans to improve the inspection methods of subway facilities by establishing a drone control system by next year.

The corporation plans to use drones equipped with ultra-high-definition cameras of over 12 million pixels to conduct precise inspections of areas difficult to check with the naked eye, such as tunnels and railway bridges, including the condition of overhead wires, track wear, concrete wall cracks, and water leakage.

In September, Seoul Metro successfully conducted three rounds of effectiveness verification of key drone control functions such as autonomous flight and real-time video transmission by deploying drones at Dangsan Railway Bridge and the tunnel at Cheongnyangni Station on Line 1.

The corporation plans to link the drone control system with the smart integrated control system, which is under construction with a target completion date at the end of 2026. Through this system, drones will be able to inspect facilities even in areas where GPS signals are unavailable, such as inside tunnels, under railway bridges, and under piers, where autonomous drone navigation is currently impossible.

The drone control system will apply point cloud-based drone control technology. Seoul Metro stated that it plans to showcase this proprietary technology in the 2024 CES Innovation Awards category.

Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro, said, "By utilizing drones to proactively detect facility abnormalities, we will prevent disasters for citizens and build a safe subway environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.