Acciona has said it has begun using drones during tunnel construction phases to obtain regular digital records of works. The firm says it can analyse the volume of material excavated, the consumption of inputs, execution deadlines, incidents, etc., and carry out its processing without interfering in tasks done in the workplace.

According to a statement, the technology, which can be used on tunnel projects excavated by conventional methods (explosives, hammers or cutters), as well as on underground mining projects, can be supplemented with photographic resources to regularly monitor a project.

Tripod-based laser scanner systems are currently used, supplemented with conventional topography, to obtain digital models of the inside of tunnels under construction. However, these methods are time-consuming and offer limited versatility, which is not compatible with the production performance of the works, the firm said.

Acciona explained that it is constantly developing applications to leverage drone technology in order to collect real time data about major transport projects, which will help its managers understand what is happening onsite.

The firm said the aerial information would enable it to monitor progress and help detect incidents before they became costly or slowed down the project.