Immersive Bridge Analytics – Digital support for bridge inspection

Even though many individual digital solutions are already being used in damage diagnostics, there is still great potential for digitization in bridge inspection. The reason: in practice, the existing digital tools have hardly been systematically combined with one another to date.

The conclusion drawn from this is that a coordinated digital process could not only increase time and cost efficiency, but also significantly improve the accuracy of test results and enable well-founded damage forecasts.

The research project “Immersive Bridge Analytics” (ImBrAs), led by Professor Dr. Martin Mertens, addresses precisely this issue. The aim of the project is to link existing digital solutions in a meaningful way and use a digital model to investigate how this can greatly optimize building inspections.

The existing methods are combined in a digital twin of a real bridge. The results of laboratory-based investigations are transferred to a real structure. With the help of a demonstrator, users gain insight into the project results—both structural engineers in bridge construction and public authorities responsible for infrastructure maintenance.

Professor Mertens from Bochum University of Applied Sciences explains: “The current rapid development of digital processes in building inspection, and in particular their useful integration, offers building inspectors and building authorities the opportunity to detect damage at an early stage, analyze it, and predict further developments. In this way, we are making an important contribution to effective and economical building management.”

The ImBrAs project is dedicated to the “analysis and implementation of effective measures for the modern and future-proof maintenance of transport infrastructure.” It is funded as part of the “Future Package for Efficient Infrastructure” by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV).

The research period runs from February 2025 to January 2028. The interdisciplinary consortium brings together representatives from science and practice. With a total volume of €2,481,943.40, the project is 77 percent funded by the mFUND innovation initiative of the BMDV. ImBrAs is related in content to other mFUND projects such as nVisDa, DigiOnTrack, Multisens +, Smart Tendon, P-BIM, IDA-KI, and AI4INFRA.

The research consortium comprises:

• Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Professor Martin Mertens
• Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences (TH OWL), Department of Civil Engineering
• Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT
• Schüßler-Plan Digital GmbH
• HHVISION GmbH & Co KG
• Federal Highway Research Institute

About the mFUND funding program of the BMDV:

As part of the mFUND funding program, the BMDV has been supporting research and development projects related to data-based digital innovations for Mobility 4.0 since 2016. Project funding is supplemented by active professional networking between stakeholders from politics, business, administration, and research, and the provision of open data on the Mobilithek platform. Further information is available at www.mfund.de.

Immersive Bridge Analytics: ImBrAs - TH OWL