6. Shaping the Next Generation of Urban Infrastructure Maintenance: The Potential Use of Mobile Application and Augmented Reality in Civil Engineering

The approach of using modern technologies in assisting non-intrusive infrastructure maintenance is beneficial. A machine learning algorithm for crack detection in concrete infrastructure is developed in the MOB Lab Group and is integrated into modern technologies to assist working professionals and to increase citizen engagement in monitoring the infrastructure health of their communities. This research focuses on two popular modern technology forms: mobile applications and augmented reality. A mobile application is easily accessible by the majority of the populace in a community such as Charlottesville, giving each individual the power to communicate local information. Augmented Reality via a HoloLens is not so easily accessible, but gives professionals the ability to view their surroundings with a quantitative lens. Towards this end, a Mobile Application has been developed to allow citizens to proactively support their community using a responsive camera tool to detect infrastructure depreciation. This semester, a proof of concept for what a structural engineer would perceive when using a HoloLens onsite. The founding of this research will unveil augmented reality technology‚Äôs great potential for real-time monitoring on large scale urban infrastructure networks.