Hiroshima City uses drone for the first time to conduct a soundness survey of the Atomic Bomb Dome, eliminating the need for scaffolding
Aug. 27, 2024
by Michio Shimotaka, Staff Writer
On August 26, the Hiroshima City government began taking drone photographs of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, a World Heritage Site, for a regular inspection of its structural soundness. Their first attempt eliminates the need for scaffolding for visual inspection and allows them to verify the level of deterioration from the images without covering the exterior.
Workers from the city's contractor took photographs of the exterior of the Atomic Bomb Dome by operating a drone. They will continue the work for about two weeks, although that could change depending on the weather, and the interior will also be photographed. They said that cracks over 0.2 millimeters wide can be confirmed from the images, and that the results will be used to determine if repairs are needed.
The city has carried out inspections of the Atomic Bomb Dome approximately every three years, and this is the 10th inspection. During previous visual inspections, the exterior was covered with scaffolding for about five months, risking possible damage to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the ground. In 2022, the city experimentally flew a drone to take photographs of the dome and analyzed the images, confirming their effectiveness. In February this year, they received approval from the “Advisory Committee on Techniques for Preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome,” which is composed of experts, to use the drone in the probe.
In the future, the city will mainly use a drone and set up scaffolding for a probe about once every nine years. The Atomic Bomb Dome, built as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, will be 110 years old next year. The city’s park improvement department personnel said, “We will make efforts for the preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome so the reality of the destruction wrought by the atomic bombing will be imprinted on the minds of visitors.”
(Originally published on August 27, 2024)
On August 26, the Hiroshima City government began taking drone photographs of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, a World Heritage Site, for a regular inspection of its structural soundness. Their first attempt eliminates the need for scaffolding for visual inspection and allows them to verify the level of deterioration from the images without covering the exterior.
Workers from the city's contractor took photographs of the exterior of the Atomic Bomb Dome by operating a drone. They will continue the work for about two weeks, although that could change depending on the weather, and the interior will also be photographed. They said that cracks over 0.2 millimeters wide can be confirmed from the images, and that the results will be used to determine if repairs are needed.
The city has carried out inspections of the Atomic Bomb Dome approximately every three years, and this is the 10th inspection. During previous visual inspections, the exterior was covered with scaffolding for about five months, risking possible damage to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the ground. In 2022, the city experimentally flew a drone to take photographs of the dome and analyzed the images, confirming their effectiveness. In February this year, they received approval from the “Advisory Committee on Techniques for Preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome,” which is composed of experts, to use the drone in the probe.
In the future, the city will mainly use a drone and set up scaffolding for a probe about once every nine years. The Atomic Bomb Dome, built as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, will be 110 years old next year. The city’s park improvement department personnel said, “We will make efforts for the preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome so the reality of the destruction wrought by the atomic bombing will be imprinted on the minds of visitors.”
(Originally published on August 27, 2024)
