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Mobile
Inspection Assistance
The Need
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Every bridge in the National Bridge Inventory
has to be inspected at least every two years. While advanced bridge management systems are
being created, deployed and used to collect data for inventories of bridges and support
the systematic identification and prioritization of needs, the bridge inspectors in the
field are using paper-based to support, and record the result of their inspection process.
MIA which is a wearable computer system, helps bridge inspectors
collect
multimedia information in the field and produce the inspection report. This system
allows the inspector to fill out the inspection form, access previous inspection reports,
make sketches of bridge
elements, take photographs and produce the inspection
report via voice or pen interface. |
Bridge Inspection using MIA via voice and pen interface. |
The Technology
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The required level of
computing support in the field made necessary the following hardware and software be
developed. The hardware system
consists of: (1) a 1.25 lb. computer, consisting of a 180 MHz Cyrix Processor, a full
duplex sound processing chip, a 3.2 GB rotating disk, a serial port, and a PMCIA wireless
communication card supporting spread spectrum radio at 2 Mbps; (2) 6.5 " diagonal TFT
color flat panel display touch interface, 640 x 480 resolution(3) a noise canceling
microphone; (4) a digital camera;(5) a van based unit that provides a battery charger and
a laptop to use in the wearable unit.
The software of the system consists of the
following components: (1) a graphical user interface that presents overlapping panels with
tabs for viewing previous inspection reports, the current inspection form, the collection
of sketch templates, the photo album, and the information about monitored elements;(2) a
speech recognition tool that allows the user to invoke commands via speech and make
comments and annotations; (3) a database for storing the information of the bridge; (4) a
tool for sketching; and (5) a tool for viewing/editing photos. |
MIA Hardware
Previous version of MIA.
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The Benefits
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- The greatest advantage is that this technology offers a
safe, easy handle system which facilitates the work done by a Bridge Inspector, getting
the work done better and faster.
- This innovative technology assures the inspector, a
substantial reduce in the amount of paperwork and data entry necessary for each report.
- The wearable computers, reduce one step in the work, because
using the pen and voice interface, information is transfer into a computer and avoids the
transfer of information back at the office to the computer.
- Using this device the inspector can spend more time on
actual inspection and less time on paperwork, thus improving the quality and efficiency of
the inspection.
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ViA Inc, is developing the wearable
computer unit , helping surveyors getting job done better and faster. |
Status
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The Mobile Inspection
Assistance was developed by students at Carnegie Mellon University, PA in Spring
Semester of 1998. This technology was demonstrated to the local Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation inspectors and engineers on April 29,1998. The future plans for MIA are to
perform several full scale field tests and explore additional forms of intelligent support
that might be provided on the platform. The same technology that has been developed for MIA, which is a wearable
computer; is now been used in several other industries including Construction and related
areas. Right now, a company called ViA Inc, is designing and producing computers which
help engineers in getting their job done. In Land Surveying for example, the ViA Inc,
software program helps to stake out a site and elaborate all the calculations immediately,
getting the surveying work done faster.
Also, the persons in
housing assessment purposes can rely on ViA and eliminate some steps in information
transfer, just because they can collect data out in the field with a pen interface
technology. |
Points of Contact
- Prof. Garrett,James Jr., Civil Engineering,
Carnegie Mellon University,Pittsburgh, PA 15213 , Phone: (412) 268-5674, Fax: (412)
268-7813, Email: garrett@CMU.edu
- Palmquist, Robert. VP,Innovative
Technologies ViA Inc. 11 Bridge Square Northfield, MN 55057 , Phone:(507)663-1339 , Email:
rpalmquist@flexipc.com
References
- Sunkpho,Jirapon, Garrett, James H Jr and
Siewiorek, Dan P. MIA: A Wearable Computer for Bridge Inspectors. Carnegie Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Wearable Computers for Bridge Inspectors.
Sunkpho,Jirapon, Garrett, James H Jr and Siewiorek, Dan P.
- ViA, Inc, Computers that fit People
Disclaimer Statement
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Neither the Construction
Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this
technology or represents
that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation. |
CG02 |
