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Drones Are Now Used to Detect Defects in HDB in Jurong East

2018-08-13 , 10:30 am

The day of construction has reached a new age in Singapore.

No, we’re still not 3D-printing our HDB houses yet (though that might really happen soon).

HDB Tries Using Drones For a Week

If your flat is in Jurong East and you woke up one day to see a drone flying right outside your window, don’t throw a banana at it while screaming pervert.

Because the drone might not be the property of a particularly hormonal 16-year-old voyeur, but workers inspecting your HDB blocks for defects.

The Housing Development Board (HDB) carried out a one-week trial from 26 Jul to 2 Aug, using drones to inspect public housing facades to make sure that they’re in good condition.

Image: Dmitry Kalinovsky / Shutterstock.com

Safer & More Efficient

Unlike the traditional method where people are carried up the sides of the building to carry out inspections, HDB is looking to make use of drones instead.

Drones are safer, faster and are able to survey areas which are hard to reach with a worker’s gondola.

An inspection of a side of the building only takes around 10 to 15 minutes, according to newspaper reports. However, it was not known if the attempt is successful, or if a second attempt is required.

But this isn’t as simple as flying a drone up to take snapshots.

Because the images captured by the drone will be analysed by an AI

Yeah, high-tech meets high-tech.

Operated by HUS Unmanned Systems, the company was given a permit to fly a drone for this purpose.

The drone will take thousands of pictures, which will then be uploaded to the cloud-based AI system.

After each inspection, a report is automatically generated.

And if you’re worried your nudes will be captured and pasted in presentation slides, don’t worry.

HDB residents captured in the footage will be masked out

HDB said HUS are only allowed to capture images of the building facade.

If any residents are (unfortunately) captured in the footage, details will be masked out with a software. Kind of like how Google Maps work (you know, auto-blurring out of faces and humans).

HDB assured residents that only processed images with residents’ images masked out (if any) will be used.

Plus, HUS is not allowed to “publish, share, reproduce or use the captured footage for any purpose beyond the pilot without HDB’s prior consent.”

While some hosueowners are fine with it, some ladies aren’t as they complained about having their privacy invaded, especially when they’re alone at home.

Buildings in S’pore To Have Mandatory Building Facade Inspection Done

Earlier in March 2018, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said that building owners are required to appoint qualified building inspectors to inspect building facades.

It’s said that buildings taller than 13 metres and older than 20 years will be focused on.

This will hopefully detect defects and allow timely repairs to the building.

The inspection regime must be carried out once every seven years.

The change in legislation is expected to be completed by year-end and the Building Construction Authority of Singapore will be coming up with inspection guidelines.

Read Also: Local Actress Liu Ling Ling Finally Reveals Son’s Father After Getting Hate For Years

A Spate of Accidents With Things Falling Off Buildings

So why the sudden change? Before this, there wasn’t any requirement for building owners to inspect the facade of their buildings.

It’s because accidents like things falling off buildings (no, not killer litter) is happening. And it’s believed that if an inspection was carried out, this incidents wouldn’t have happened.

2017:

Trivelis Condominium: A piece of concrete fell 40-floors down the building to land in a playground. While developers claimed that it was struck by lightning, the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council disputed the claim.

Blk 77 Indus Road: Two aluminium panels fell from the block and hit the ground.

2016:

Cradels Condominium: A blocked drain at the condo’s infinity pool led to a build-up of water. The glass panels on the pool’s facade shattered, creating a waterfall to the carpark below.

Blk 201E Tampines St 23: A concrete feature on the fourth floor fell and landed on another sunshade below. It was discovered that the concrete did not have reinforcement bars on one side.

Blk 448 Hougang Ave 10: A plastic slab fell from the HDB block and crashed to the ground. Investigations revealed that this was due to wear and tear over time.

Blk 51 Circuit Road: A cladding board made of calcium silicate fell off the HDB block. Investigations revealed that there was some loose connection of screws in some of the claddings on the building.

So, yeah. The Smart Nation initiative is definitely still on track.

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