Communications of the ACM
China's Great Wall Is 'Crumbling.' Now Architects Are sing Drones to Save It.
Chinese authorities are deploying drones to gather data about the Great Wall in order to rehabilitate crumbling sections.
Credit: Li Ding/Alamy
China has deployed drones to investigate portions of the Great Wall that are too hazardous to cross because of disrepair, taking measurements and compiling maps to inform its rehabilitation.
Drone-collected data has helped workers build buttresses for vulnerable sections, with Falcon 8+ robots from Intel used to capture high-definition, three-dimensional images of the Jiankou section of the structure.
Architect Zhao Peng said the monument's complexity is such that repair requires more than simply reinforcement of old walls with new stone and concrete. Said Peng, "Some sections of the Great Wall are very dangerous. Using drones, we can measure lengths and undulations."
According to Peng, the wall is so complicated that, "We need to study arrow holes, battlements, floor designs, and even lime content."
From The Washington Post
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